Men with sleeping disorders may have double the risk of having a heart attack and face up to four times the risk of suffering a stroke than males without a sleeping disorder, a new study has warned.
The research found that men with a sleeping disorder had a risk of myocardial infarction that was 2 to 2.6 times higher and a stroke risk that was 1.5 to 4 times higher than those without a sleeping disorder.
The study included a sample of 657 men aged 25 to 64 years with no history of heart attack, stroke or diabetes in Novosibirsk, Russia.
Sleep quality was assessed when the study began in 1994 using the 'Jenkins Sleep Scale'. Cases of myocardial infarction and stroke were recorded over the next 14 years.
During the study period, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of participants who had a heart attack also had a sleeping disorder.
"Sleeping disorders were associated with greatly increased incidences of both heart attack and stroke," said Valery Gafarov, professor of cardiology at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Novosibirsk.
"We also found that the rates of heart attack and stroke in men with sleeping disorders were related to the social gradient, with the highest incidences in those who were widowed or divorced, had not finished secondary school, and were engaged in medium to heavy manual labour," said Gafarov.
"Sleep is not a trivial issue. In our study it was associated with double the risk of a heart attack and up to four times the risk of stroke. Poor sleep should be considered a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease along with smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet," said Gafarov.
"For most people, good quality sleep is 7 to 8 hours of rest each night. People who are not sleeping well should speak to their doctor," Gafarov added.
According to Gafarov, mortality from cardiovascular diseases accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the total mortality among the population, of which nearly 80 per cent of deaths are due to heart attacks and stroke.
"It means that today we are talking about an epidemic of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore necessary to engage in intensive prevention of risk factors leading to the development of cardiovascular diseases," said Gafarov.
The study was presented at a meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Croatia.
