Importance of Quality Sleep Confirmed

Previous studies suggest that sleep disorders closely correlate to the presence of cardiovascular diseases – responsible for nearly 50% of total global mortality.  Researchers from the Multinational Monitoring of trends and determinants in Cardiovascular disease (“MONICA” study) studied 657 Russian men, ages 25 to 64 years, who did not have heart attack, stroke, or diabetes. The team assessed sleep quality, and tracked cases of heart attack and stroke over the next 14 years.  During the study period, nearly two-thirds (63%) of participants who had a heart attack also had a sleeping disorder. 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 between 5 and 14 years of follow up.  The lead investigator comments that: “Sleep disorders are very closely related to the presence of cardiovascular diseases. However, until now there has not been a population based cohort study examining the impact of sleep disorders on the development of a heart attack or stroke.”