How you sleep can impact your heart

A study in The Netherlands observed the relationship between sleep and heart disease among 20,432 men and women. Researchers found that short sleep contributes to cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.

The research was conducted over a 12-year period. None of the Dutch participants had any heart disease when first examined. But during years of follow-ups, more than 2,600 cases of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease developed. The study was able to link these heart diseases to particular sleep habits.

Short sleepers had a 15 percent higher chance of cardiovascular disease. Short sleepers with sub-par sleep quality had an even higher chance, 63 percent. The chance for developing coronary heart disease was 23 percent higher in short sleepers. And for short sleepers with a poor quality of sleep, the chance of developing coronary heart disease was 79 percent higher.

Short sleep was defined as six hours of sleep or less. Long sleep was considered sleep for nine hours or more. There were no links seen between long sleep and cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease.

The study was published in the November issue of the journal SLEEP. Read more about sleep and heart-related issues at the Sleep Education Blog.

Sleep 7 Hours to Avoid Cardiovascular Disease

Seven hours is the magic number for a healthy heart. Sleeping too little or too much can elevates your risk for heart disease, a new study shows.

Heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease and angina are twice as prevalent among people who consistently get less than five hours of sleep. Sleeping in isn’t much better. The rate of cardiovascular disease is one-and-a-half times higher for people who sleep nine hours per night.

The conclusions were based on data from a large 2005 survey featuring questions about sleep length and incidence of heart disease. A study that analyzed the data was published in the August 1st issue of SLEEP.

The authors analyzed how 30,307 adults responded to the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. The survey also collected information on demographic factors, socioeconomic characteristics, lifestyle and health. About 2,100 respondents reported some form of heart disease.

Surprisingly, people who slept six or eight hours a night also had a moderately elevated risk. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the average adult needs seven to eight hours of sleep, though individual sleep needs may vary.

Adults under 60 years of age had the highest association between short sleep and cardiovascular disease. This relationship affects women more than men.
The initial data was adjusted to account for complicating factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and body mass index. The relationship between sleep duration and heart disease remained high after researchers excluded subjects with diabetes, hypertension and depression.

Short sleep duration is associated with metabolic disease and hardened arteries. Long sleep duration may be related to other underlying problems.

If you’re meeting your sleep needs yet still feel fatigued you may have a sleep-related breathing disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to heart problems or even death. Sleep apnea occurs when excess fatty tissue in the throat periodically interrupts air flow. Anyone can have sleep apnea, even though it’s most common in obese or older populations. There are several effective treatments, but an overnight sleep study is first required for diagnosis.

Sleeping well should be as much a priority as staying physically active in protecting your heart health. Even an extra hour of sleep can potentially save your life in the long term.

Sleep Apnea & Abnormal Heart Rhythms in Older Men

A new study examines the link between sleep apnea and “cardiac arrhythmias” – abnormal heart rhythms.

The study involved 2,911 older men. Sleep apnea was measured during an overnight sleep study. Heart monitoring detected two groups of abnormal heart rhythms: atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF), and complex ventricular ectopy (CVE).

Results show that the general risk of AF and CVE increased as the severity of sleep apnea increased. The specific risks varied according to the type of sleep apnea that men had.

Men with obstructive sleep apnea had a greater risk of CVE but not AF. Men with central sleep apnea were between two and three times more likely to have AF.



The NHLBI reports that the atria are the two upper chambers of the heart. They collect blood as it comes into the heart. The ventricles are the two lower chambers. They pump blood out of the heart to the lungs or other parts of the body.

A person’s heart rate generally slows down during sleep. But AF involves a very fast heart rate that can be irregular (fibrillation) or regular (flutter). AF is the most common type of serious arrhythmia. Long-term AF can lead to stroke and heart failure.

CVE is a term that includes a variety of premature and abnormal heart-beat patterns. Abnormal heart rhythms that start in the ventricles also can be very dangerous.

A 2006 study found that people with severe sleep apnea were four times more likely to have atrial fibrillation; they were almost twice as likely to have CVE.

Learn more on SleepEducation.com: A scientific statement published in 2008 urged doctors to pay attention to the link between sleep apnea and heart disease. Studies show that CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea helps the heart.

Find out more about cardiac arrhythmias on the NHLBI Web site.

Get help for sleep apnea at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

An Early Bedtime May Improve Your Heart Health

A new study shows that going to bed before midnight may be good for your health. You may be less likely to have hardened arteries.

The study involved 251 healthy men. They were all younger than 61 years of age. They had an annual check up to measure their health. They also reported their typical bedtime and sleep duration.

The men were put into three groups based on their self-reported sleep duration: less than six hours, six to seven hours, and seven hours or more. In each of these groups, the men who reported going to bed before midnight had more relaxed arteries.

“We speculate that going to bed late somehow disturbs our habitual, biological sleep patterns,” study author Dr. Yu Misao said in a prepared statement. “We should consider getting our sleep habits as close to what our bodies biologically demand as much as possible.”

Misao noted that “arterial stiffness” is the first sign of hardening of the arteries. Having hardened arteries is also known as “atherosclerosis.”

The NHLBI reports that this form of heart disease occurs when plaque builds up on the inside of the arteries. These blood vessels carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart and other parts of the body.

Plaque build-up makes the arteries hard and narrow. This reduces the flow of blood to your organs. A heart attack, stroke or even death can result.

Is Daytime Sleepiness an Excessive Risk for Older Adults?

Excessive daytime sleepiness is common in older adults. But is it anything to be worried about?

A new study from France may raise a few eyebrows. It links EDS in older adults with an increased risk of death.

The study involved 8,269 adults with an average age of 74 years. All of them were living in the community rather than in a nursing home. None of them had dementia when the study began.

At the start of the study almost 19 percent of participants reported having regular or frequent EDS. The study group was followed for six years.

During this time 762 people died. Of these deaths, 196 were caused by heart disease.

Results show that the older adults with EDS had a much worse survival rate. There was a 33 percent increase in their risk of death. There also was a 49 percent increase in their risk of death from heart disease.

So is EDS a symptom of heart disease? The relationship may not be so simple.

The study measured the resting heart rates of participants. Ultrasound also was used to examine the carotid artery of two-thirds of the study group. There were no differences between those with and without EDS.

Does this mean that EDS in some way triggers heart disease? The authors aren’t sure. But they suggest that EDS in older adults may not be as harmless as some might think.

They recommend that doctors should routinely screen older adults for EDS. Those who have EDS then should undergo a sleep study to look for any underlying sleep problems.

Get Sleep Tips for Older Adults from the AASM.

What Disease is the #1 Killer of Women?

Did you guess cancer? You’re close, but wrong. Diabetes? You’re getting colder. The answer: In the U.S. heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. Surprised?

Don’t feel bad if you got the answer wrong; you’re not alone. The NHLBI reports that 35 percent of women are unaware that heart disease is the leading killer of women.

February is American Heart Month. So now is the perfect time to think about your own heart health.

Using 2004 data the CDC reports that 27.2 percent of deaths among women are due to heart disease. Cancer comes in second place at 22 percent. Stroke is third at 7.5 percent, and diabetes is seventh at 7.1 percent.

The raw numbers are even more striking. In 2005 heart disease took the lives of 329,250 women – more women than men. Cancer deaths: 268,890 women – including 69,105 due to lung cancer and 41,116 due to breast cancer.

The CDC also reports that heart disease affects large numbers of younger women: It is the third-leading cause of death for women between the ages of 25 and 44.

Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. You also have a higher risk if you are overweight or obese.

Another risk factor for heart disease that often is overlooked is obstructive sleep apnea. But sleep apnea and snoring are just for men, right? Wrong.

Sleep apnea is common in women; but women are less likely than men to receive medical help for it.

Warning signs for sleep apnea include pauses in breathing, loud and erratic snoring, and gasping for breath during sleep. Women with sleep apnea also are likely to complain of restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, insomnia and even depression.

Are you at risk for sleep apnea? Complete this online questionnaire to find out.

Blood Flow May Explain Link Between Sleep Apnea & Stroke

Research has shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases your risk of stroke. According to the UCLA Stroke Center, OSA is found in almost 50 percent of stroke patients. But the mechanism by which sleep apnea increases stroke risk has been unknown.

A new study may provide an answer. It shows that people with sleep apnea have decreased blood flow velocity in the brain’s arteries. Their brains’ blood vessels also have a lower rate of recovery when blood pressure drops.

These effects may impair the brain’s ability to regulate its blood flow. This may contribute to the increased risk of stroke in people with sleep apnea.

A stroke is a “brain attack” that occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. It can result from either a blood clot that blocks an artery or from a broken blood vessel. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. as of 2005.

OSA involves repeated breathing pauses that occur during sleep. It can result in severe changes in blood pressure and oxygen levels.

Research also has linked sleep apnea to health risks such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart attack and heart failure. Recent studies even show that sleep apnea increases your risk of death.

The good news is that sleep apnea can be treated. CPAP therapy helps normalize breathing during sleep. A 2005 study shows that CPAP may help protect people with sleep apnea from stroke and heart disease. In effect, regular CPAP use to treat sleep apnea just might save your life.