Getting too little or too much sleep can negatively affect the heart.
Not getting adequate sleep can increase your risk for chronic health problems, particularly cardiovascular disease. Several studies have suggested that getting too little or too much sleep can negatively affect the heart. Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that causes the patient to pause or stop breathing while asleep, is also linked to a number of heart conditions, such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and heart attacks. Now, a new study has revealed that poor sleep patterns could be responsible for about 8 per cent of deaths from any cause.
Developing good sleep habits from a young age and getting enough sleep can greatly benefit one's overall long-term health, and may even add years to their life, the researchers noted.
Just getting enough hours of sleep isn't sufficient, one needs to have restful sleep and no trouble falling and staying asleep, Frank Qian, co-author of the study.
Qian and team found that young people who have more beneficial sleep habits are significantly less likely to die early.
The investigators analyzed data of more than 1.7 lakh people (average age 50) who participated in a US national health survey between 2013 and 2018, to look at how sleep behaviors influence life expectancy. During the study period (an average of 4.3 years), more than 8,600 individuals died, of which 30 per cent deaths were from cardiovascular disease, 24 per cent were from cancer and 46 per cent were due to other causes.
Further, they found that those who had quality sleep were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or any other causes, compared to those with low sleep score.
For the study, the researchers assessed 5 different factors of quality sleep or five low-risk sleep habits, including:
"If people have all these ideal sleep behaviors, they are more likely to live longer," Qian said, as quoted by ScienceDaily.
By identifying sleep disorders and improving sleep overall, we may be able to prevent some premature deaths, he added.
Among participants who reported having all five quality sleep measures (a score of five), greater life expectancy was seen among men than women, a difference of more than 2 years. The researchers emphasized that more research is needed to determine this link.
The authors stress the importance of assessing sleep more often, asking about sleep habits during clinical encounters, and making it part of a patient's overall health assessment and disease management planning.
Qian would be presenting the study findings at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session on March 6 in New Orleans.
