Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults ages 18 to 60 years should get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, only 65.2% of adults surveyed in United States in 2014 reported that they consistently meet this standard.¹ These results are concerning, as inadequate sleep has been associated with a range of adverse health effects including diabetes, high blood pressure, mental distress, and an increased risk for accidents related to impaired cognitive performance.¹

In addition, there is accumulating evidence supporting the notion that sleep duration may have an effect on cardiovascular health, with several studies linking both insufficient and excessive sleep duration to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). A meta-analysis of 74 studies (n=3,340,684) by Chun Shing Kwok, MBBS, MSc, BSc, MRCP(UK), clinical lecturer in cardiology at Keele University in Staffordshire, United Kingdom, and colleagues, indicated that self-reported sleep duration exceeding 8 hours per night—but not sleep duration <7 hours—was associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events.² An association was also observed between subjective poor sleep quality and an increased risk for coronary heart disease.

In a cross-sectional study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, which Krittanawong, et al conducted to examine the connection between sleep duration and the prevalence of a set of measures of cardiovascular health,  the researchers analyzed self-reported data from 32,152 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).³ After adjusting for age, sex, physical activity levels, depression, and other potentially confounding variables, short sleep duration (ie, <7 hours per night) was found to be associated with a greater prevalence of previous heart failure (odds ratio [OR], 1.65; 95% CI, 1.40-1.95), stroke (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.23-1.70), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.23-1.49), and hyperlipidemia (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.22).³ In addition, longer sleep duration (ie, >9 hours per night) was found to be associated with a greater prevalence of previous stroke (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.37-2.34) and heart failure (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.08-1.97).

Although more research is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms, the authors of this study hypothesized that the increased cardiovascular risks associated with short and long sleep durations may be attributed to factors such as metabolic impairment and lifestyle behaviors including poor dietary and exercise patterns. They also noted that there is no recommendation regarding sleep duration in the current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for CVD prevention.⁴ “With further prospective studies, national guidelines may consider advocating for optimal sleep duration to reduce cardiovascular health risks,” they noted.³ 

Media Contact
John Mathews
Journal Manager
Current Trends in Cardiology
Email: cardiologyres@eclinicalsci.com