Poor sleep may raise the risk of heart attack, stroke
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MBBS, NA, Department of cyco
The study, which began in 1994, included a nationally representative cohort of 657 men aged 25-64 from Russia, all of whom had no history of diabetes, stroke or heart attack.
At study baseline, researchers used the Jenkins Sleep Scale to identify sleep frequency and any sleep difficulties among participants. Men whose ratings fell into the categories of "poor," "bad" or "very bad" were considered to have a sleeping disorder.
The team assessed incidence of heart attack and stroke among the participants over the next 14 years.
Compared with men who did not have a sleeping disorder, those who did were found to be at 2-2.6 times greater risk of heart attack and 1.5-4 times higher risk of stroke.
Among men with sleeping disorders, the risk of stroke and heart attack was highest among those who were widowed or divorced, those who had professions that involved heavy to medium manual labor and those who had not completed high school.
Commenting on their findings, Prof. Gafarov says:
"Sleep is not a trivial issue. In our study it was associated with double the risk of a heart attack and up to four times the risk of stroke.
Poor sleep should be considered a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease along with smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet. Guidelines should add sleep as a risk factor to recommendations for preventing cardiovascular disease."
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults aged 18-64 should get around 7-9 hours sleep each night, while those aged 65 and older should aim for 7-8 hours sleep each night.
Prof. Gafarov says individuals who are not getting enough sleep should talk to their doctor, pointing out that not only could poor sleep raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, but previous studies from the team have linked it to greater risk of hostility,depression and anxiety.
Elsewhere on MNT today, the American Thoracic Society have compiled sleep recommendations for good health, which support guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation stating adults should get 7-9 hours sleep each night.