22 October, 2016

Heart disease: Could sleep disorders put you to long sleep?

One of the recently published article in the American Heart Association journal Circulation gives an overview of what is currently understood regarding sleep problems and cardiovascular-related risk factors. It also asks if improving sleep would decrease these risk factors and, therefore, the risk of heart disease. Risk factors that are associated with both sleep irregularities and heart disease include obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, high blood pressure, stroke, and unhealthy levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommend that adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night to promote overall health. However, the American Heart Association does not have a recommendation on how much sleep is needed for cardiovascular wellness, as there is currently not enough scientific evidence to base a recommendation.

Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D., associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University in New York City, and chair of the panel that reviewed the science behindsleep disorders and heart disease, is of the opinion that "short sleep, usually defined as under 7 hours per night, overly long sleep, usually defined as more than 9 hours per night and sleep disorders may increase some cardiovascular risk factors, but we don't know if improving sleep quality reduces those risk factors," "Since the scientific evidence doesn't show a specific dose/response relationship between sleep duration and cardiovascular wellness, the American Heart Association cannot offer specific advice on how much sleep is needed to protect people from cardiovascular disease," she adds.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep is essential for a healthy heart. Individuals who do not sleep between 6-8 hours per night are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease regardless of age, weight, smoking, and exercise habits. Lack of sleep is linked to stress, increased blood pressure, and adrenaline secretion - all heart disease risk factors.

While the reasons behind why not getting enough sleep is detrimental to heart health are unclear, scientists indicate that less sleep causes disruptions to underlying health conditions and biological processes such as glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammation. However, sleeping too much - beyond 8 hours - may carry the same risks of dying from coronary artery disease as having too little sleep, which suggests that there is a fine balance between sleep duration and heart health.

Source: www.timesofindia.com  

22.10.2016

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