Sleepless nights may result in heart attacks, study revealed

According to a study presented at the meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Croatia, it was proved that people who get less than seven hours of sleep each night are up to four times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who regularly get a good night’s sleep.

The researchers examined 657 men aged 25 to 64 years with no history of heart attack, stroke or diabetes in Novosibirsk, Russia. From the analysis they found that men with a sleeping disorder had a risk of myocardial infarction that was 2 to 2.6 times higher and a stroke risk that was 1.5 to 4 times higher than those without a sleeping disorder.

“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,” said Gafarov.

“For most people, good quality sleep is 7 to 8 hours of rest each night. People who are not sleeping well should speak to their doctor,” Gafarov added.

By Lizitha