[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]It’s no secret that sleep is important for your overall health, but a lack of sleep may have serious consequences for your heart, according to a new study. According to the researchers, people who suffer from insomnia are more likely to suffer from a heart attack.
According to the researchers, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in the United States, affecting 10% to 15% of the population.
According to a meta-analysis of previously published research published on Friday in the journal Clinical Cardiology, the potential association between insomnia and heart attack risk is strongest in women.
According to Dr. Martha Gulati, director of prevention at Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, the majority of her patients are women, and insomnia is a known risk factor for women who have had any type of ischemic heart disease.
“Insomnia is a fairly common condition. We probably see it in one out of every ten patients in the United States “Gulati, who was not involved in the new study, stated. “Almost everyone, in my opinion, suffers from insomnia at some point in their lives. According to estimates, one in every two adults will experience it at some point in their lives, possibly in the short term due to stressful situations.”
For their analysis, the researchers — from medical institutions in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as SUNY Medical University and Harvard Medical School in the United States — defined insomnia as a sleep disorder with three main symptoms:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Waking early and being unable to fall back asleep
The analysis included more than 11 years’ worth of data from 1,184,256 adults in the US, the UK, Norway, Germany, Taiwan and China.
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There were 153,881 participants who had insomnia and 1,030,375 who did not. The researchers discovered that those who had insomnia were 1.69 times more likely to have a heart attack than those who did not have insomnia. Heart attacks were still relatively rare, occurring in about 1.6% of people who had insomnia and 1.2% of those who did not.
The study also discovered a link between an increased risk of heart attack and how long a participant slept each night. Those who slept for five hours or less had the strongest link to heart attack risk, and were 1.56 times more likely to have one than those who slept for seven or eight hours.
Longer sleep periods were not always more protective. According to the study, people who slept six hours or more per night had a lower risk of having a heart attack than those who slept nine hours or more.
“A lot of studies have shown that seven to eight hours of sleep is the magic number for us,” Gulati said. “Obviously, everyone is different, but sleeping too much is rarely an issue.”
According to the study, the increased risk of heart attack among insomniacs persisted regardless of age or gender.
According to Gulati, there are several ways that a lack of sleep can increase the risk of a heart attack. Cortisol regulation is critical.
Cortisol is a hormone that regulates the body’s response to stress. When levels become too high, the body’s blood pressure rises. When a person gets enough sleep, their blood pressure drops at night.
“What happens when you don’t get enough sleep is that your cortisol levels go out of whack,” Gulati explained. “We know that if you have sleep problems, your blood pressure is higher at night.”
According to her, one of the potential pathways to an increased risk of heart disease is higher blood pressure at night caused by cortisol imbalance.
According to the study’s authors, insomnia should be considered a risk factor in primary prevention guidelines for cardiovascular disease.
“We now have evidence that sleep is medicine,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Hani Aiash, a cardiologist and assistant dean of interprofessional research in Upstate Medical University’s College of Health Professions. “Good sleep is therefore prevention.” If you didn’t get enough sleep… less than five or six hours, you’re putting yourself at risk of a myocardial infarction. The sleeping pattern is critical.”
However, “we don’t need nine hours,” Aiash said. “Above nine hours is harmful also.”
To avoid insomnia and improve sleep, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends five simple steps:
- Being consistent with going to sleep at the same time each night and getting up at a similar time every morning, including weekends. This helps establish a rhythm for your body.
- Make sure your bedroom is a relaxing, quiet and dark space with a comfortable temperature.
- Next, remove smartphones, TVs and computers from the room.
- Avoiding large meals, caffeine and alcohol before bedtime gives your body the best chance at sleeping well.
- Finally, remain active during the day.
If you’re still struggling with insomnia, talk to a doctor about other remedies and treatments, the CDC says.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
