A new study by researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia and the University of Southern Denmark has shown that poor sleep affects the longevity of our cardiovascular health.
A study of 308.683 middle-aged adults found that sleep disturbances were associated with a significant reduction in the number of years and heart health a person experienced.
U study included clinical sleep disorders such as insomnia and breathing disorders, as well as a variety of other sleep-related problems such as schedule/chronotype (sleep type) conflict, snoring, and daytime sleepiness.
The two most common breathing-related sleep disorders considered in the study were central apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.
The analysis found that sleep-disordered breathing was associated with shortening the life expectancy of a person with a healthy heart by about 7 years.
What the study found
In women, sleep-disordered breathing was associated with a 7,32-year reduction in heart-healthy years, compared to 6,73 years in men.
"Sleep is multidimensional and complex," said study co-author Prof. Emmanuel Stamatakis for Medical News Today.
"Our study suggests that it should be addressed holistically, and not limit the discussion to, for example, only the duration of sleep," he pointed out.
The authors of the study hope to encourage cardiologists and other doctors to take a more serious approach to the topic of sleep and work with patients to solve problems that can affect heart health in the long term, the Ordinacija reports.
The daily impact of poor sleep
In addition to long-term health effects, poor sleep can affect people's daily lives in many other ways.
Excessive fatigue increases the risk of accidents due to slower reaction time and loss of attention, pointed out Dr. Jonathan Cedernaes, a sleep expert from Uppsala University in Sweden.
In addition, poor sleep can worsen a person's daily physical activity, impair metabolic function and promote inflammation, he added. Bad mood, irritability and inability to concentrate are symptoms of insufficient sleep.
"We all suffer from poor sleep from time to time, but when it becomes chronic, it's a cause for concern - that's when you should consider seeking professional help," said Dr. Cedernaes.
Poor sleep and long-term health
Prof. Stamatakis suggested that sleep disorders related to breathing and heart health in particular may have links to common problems underlying both disorders.
"Sleep disorders associated with breathing are largely caused by established cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity," he pointed out.
Sleep-disordered breathing can also worsen sleep itself, resulting in more fragmented and thus less restorative sleep, Dr. Cedernaes noted.
He added that poor sleep is also associated with abnormal regulation of the cardiovascular system, including the heart and blood vessels, as well as increased inflammation, dysregulated blood pressure and disruption of the sympathetic nervous system.
Emphasizing the importance of sleep
Although this is the first study to specifically investigate the loss of healthy cardiovascular years due to sleep problems, its results are supported by previous research, Dr. Cedernaes said.
Fortunately, it has also been shown that “extending sleep – or even napping – can improve such parameters,” the researcher noted.
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