Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure
Circulation Journal Report
Healthy sleep patterns are rising in the morning, sleeping 7-8 hours a day and having no frequent insomnia, snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness.
Heart failure affects more than 26
million people, and emerging evidence indicates sleep problems may play a role
in the development of heart failure.
This observational study examined
the relationship between healthy sleep patterns and heart failure and included
data on 408,802 UK Biobank participants, ages 37 to 73 at the time of
recruitment (2006-2010). Incidence of heart failure was collected until April
1, 2019. Researchers recorded 5,221 cases of heart failure during a median
follow-up of 10 years.
Researchers analyzed sleep quality as well as overall sleep patterns. The measures of sleep quality included sleep duration, insomnia and snoring and other sleep-related features, such as whether the participant was an early bird or night owl and if they had any daytime sleepiness (likely to unintentionally doze off or fall asleep during the daytime).
“The healthy sleep score we created
was based on the scoring of these five sleep behaviors,” said Lu Qi, M.D.,
Ph.D., corresponding author and professor of epidemiology and director of the
Obesity Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans. “Our findings
highlight the importance of improving overall sleep patterns to help prevent
heart failure.”
Sleep behaviors were collected
through touchscreen questionnaires. Sleep duration was defined into three
groups: short, or less than 7 hours a day; recommended, or 7 to 8 hours a day;
and prolonged, or 9 hours or more a day.
After adjusting for diabetes, hypertension,
medication use, genetic variations and other covariates, participants with the
healthiest sleep pattern had a 42% reduction in the risk of heart failure
compared to people with an unhealthy sleep pattern.
They also found the risk of heart
failure was independently associated and:
- 8% lower in early risers;
- 12% lower in those who slept 7 to 8 hours daily;
- 17% lower in those who did not have frequent insomnia; and
- 34% lower in those reporting no daytime sleepiness.
Participant sleep behaviors were
self-reported, and the information on changes in sleep behaviors during
follow-up were not available. The researchers noted other unmeasured or unknown
adjustments may have also influenced the findings.
Qi also noted that the study’s
strengths include its novelty, prospective study design and large sample size.
First-author is Xiang Li, Ph.D.;
other co-authors are Qiaochu Xue, M.P.H.; Mengying Wang, M.P.H.; Tao Zhou,
Ph.D.; Hao Ma, Ph.D.; and Yoriko Heianza, Ph.D. Author disclosures are detailed
in the manuscript.
Funding sources include grants from
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health,
the Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center and the United States-Israel
Binational Science Foundation. Also, Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., is the recipient of an
American Heart Association Scientist Development Award, and Xiang Li, Ph.D., is
the recipient of an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship Award.
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