A new study revealed that lack of sleep significantly affects blood circulation and shortens the life of the heart, citing several factors including interrupted sleep, total sleep time, snoring, and other aspects of rest.
Researchers from the Universities of Sydney in Australia and Southern Denmark analyzed the sleep experiences and cardiovascular medical history of more than 300,000 people, according to Medical News Today.
The study included clinical sleep disorders such as insomnia and breathing-related disorders, as well as a range of other sleep-related issues, such as scheduling, poor sleep quality, snoring and daytime sleepiness.
breathing related disorders
The researchers took into account the two most common breathing-related sleep disorders, namely central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.
In addition, the results revealed that sleep-related breathing disorders shortened a person’s heart life by about 7 years, specifically a decrease of 7.32 years in heart health years for women and 6.73 years for men.
The findings found that people who slept poorly, as defined by the study, experienced an average two-year decline in heart health.
Addressing sleep problems
In turn, Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, co-researcher of the study, said, “Sleep is multidimensional and complex,” noting that the results of the study shed light on the importance of comprehensively addressing sleep problems, and that the discussion is not limited to the duration of sleep only, but must include its quality as well.
The researchers hope that the results of the study will encourage cardiologists and other physicians to raise the issue of sleeping with patients, and work with them to solve problems that may affect heart health in the long term.