ESC Congress 2022 studies revealed that poor sleep was linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. According to the experts, nine out of ten people, do not receive a sufficient night′s sleep. They also reported that if everyone slept well, seven out of ten cardiovascular diseases could be avoided.

7,200 participants who had no history of any cardiovascular disease were included in the study. Different questionnaires related to five sleep habits were used at baseline and two follow-up visits. A sleep score of 0-5 was regarded as healthy, a score of 0 or 1 is considered poor and 5 is considered optimal. Those with the highest scores said they slept 7 to 8 hours every night, never or seldom experienced insomnia, did not frequently feel excessively sleepy during the day, did not have sleep apnea, and had an early chronotype (being a morning person). For a total of 10 years, the researchers monitored for incidents of coronary heart disease and stroke every two years.

At the outset, 8% of participants had a poor sleep score, whereas 10% had an ideal sleep score. 274 patients experienced coronary heart disease or stroke during a follow-up period of eight years on average. Every extra point in the baseline sleep score was found to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke by 22%. A participant′s risk of heart disease or stroke was reduced by 75% if they received a score of 5.

Nearly half of the individuals experienced a change in their sleep score throughout two follow-ups: 25% saw a drop and 23% saw an improvement. The study′s findings revealed that a 1-point increase over time was connected to a 7% decrease in the chance of developing coronary heart disease or stroke.

The researchers stressed the need to increase the awareness of getting enough sleep to sustain heart health.

(News-medcal.net, Aug 26 2022)

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