Restful Sleep Could Help Ward Off Heart Failure

The scientists offered everyone a “healthy sleep score” of 0 to 5, based upon the variety of healthy and balanced behaviors they reported.

Over about a years, 5,221 research study individuals were identified with cardiac arrest — a persistent problem where the heart muscle mass can no more pump successfully sufficient to satisfy the body’s demands.

Overall, Qi’s group located, individuals that’d reported all five healthy sleep habits were 42% less likely to have heart failure than people who had actually reported none or only one.

Of course, “good” sleepers might be generally health conscious, too. So, Qi’s team accounted for people’s



exercise



, diet,



smoking



and drinking habits, as well as medical conditions like



diabetes



and



high blood pressure



. They also factored in people’s education levels and household income.

And healthy sleep remained linked to a lower risk of heart failure.

The findings were published online Nov. 16 in the journal







Circulation





.




 

 

Dr. Roneil Malkani is an assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

He agreed that the findings might reflect the effects of undiagnosed sleep apnea. There’s also a possibility that early heart problems caused some sleep-related symptoms.

“Daytime sleepiness could be a symptom of worsening heart health,” Malkani said.

Of the 5 sleep behaviors, he noted, lack of daytime sleepiness was linked to the biggest reduction in heart failure risk.

That said, Malkani pointed to past research showing similar patterns: Poor sleep quality — whether defined as sleep apnea, excessive sleep or too little sleep — has been tied to greater health risks and shorter life span.

He said the “novelty” of this study is that it used a simple, straightforward way to gauge healthy and balanced rest.

According to Qi, its message is similarly straightforward. “Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is better than five or six,” he said.

And if individuals have problems with



insomnia



, snoring or daytime drowsiness, Qi added, they should talk to their doctor.

More information

T


he American Academy of Sleep Medicine has more on



healthy sleep.