‘Optimal’ Sleep Tied to Better Cardiovascular Health
PARIS — Individuals who enjoy an overall healthier sleep at night enjoy a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a recent study from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research.
Studies linking sleep, disrupted sleep and obstructive sleep apnea are nothing new, of course, but most focus on a single aspect of sleep: sleep duration or sleep apnea.
The French study went further than that, looking at the effect of multiple sleep habits on the incidence of cardiovascular conditions.
They presented their findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, Spain last week.
During the study, researchers analyzed data collected between 2008 and 2011 from 7,203 men and women between 50 and 75 years of age. All were free from cardiovascular conditions at the beginning of the study.
Each participant underwent a physical examination and various biological tests. They also provided lifestyle information and medical history. The researchers assessed the participants’ sleep habits via questionnaire, looking at key elements: sleep duration, insomnia early-waking chronotype — known as being a “morning person,” sleep apnea, and subjective daytime sleepiness.
Each dimension was assigned a score of 1 or 0. Criteria for scoring a 1 or “healthy” score included: early chronotype; sleep duration of seven to eight hours per day; no or rare insomnia; no sleep apnea; and no frequent daytime sleepiness.
Overall sleep scores among the participants thus ranged from 0 to 5. Among the participants, 6.9% had a sleep score of 0 or 1, and 10.4% had an optimal sleep score of 5.
After a median follow-up of eight years, the researchers noted that participants with a score of 5 — optimal sleep — had a 74% lower risk for cardiovascular conditions than those with the poorest quality sleep.
They added that each one-point increment in healthy sleep score corresponded with a 22% reduction in cardiovascular risk.
Despite their findings, one of the researchers, Dr. Aboubakari Nambiema, postdoctoral researcher at Université Paris Cité in France, told the publication Medical News Today that scientists still have little understanding of the link between poor sleep and increased cardiovascular disease.
Most medical practitioners recommend that patients worried about their sleep habits prioritize sleep and that seven to eight hours of sleep per night is ideal for heart health.
Sticking to the same sleep schedule — weekdays and weekends — is also seen as important to maintaining one’s personal sleep-wake rhythm. In addition, the best sleep environment is one that is comfortable, quiet, cool and dark.
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