Habitual short sleep and short sleep duration are associated with many cardiovascular events like atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries), coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke. Let’s have a look at insufficient sleep and its effects on different heart conditions.
1.Sleep and Heart Rate
Our heart rate drops to 20-30% during the NREM deep sleep stages. It returns to normal when you wake up. Chronic sleep deprivation results in irregular and increased heartbeat and high blood pressure that puts extra pressure on our heart. Heart palpitations can also happen as a consequence of abrupt awakenings which are common among those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
2.Sleep and High Blood Pressure
Scientists observe a 10-20% drop in blood pressure during the normal NREM deep sleep stage, a phenomenon known as nocturnal dipping. Those with sleep disruptions and lack of sleep experience non-dipping, which means that their blood pressure does not drop during sleep. This increases the risk of high blood pressure, which may have serious consequences such as heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, or kidney failure, as we wrote about in our article about hypertension in Singapore and its complications here.
3.Sleep and Heart Failure
Heart failure happens when the heart fails to pump and supply enough blood throughout the body, in many cases as a result of unmanaged hypertension. An observational study reported linkage between sleep deprivation and heart failure. This study also reported an increased risk of heart failure in those who sleep less than seven hours a day. The risk of heart failure was also found to be more common in people with unhealthy sleep behaviors like snoring, daytime sleepiness, and insomnia symptoms.
4.Sleep and Atherosclerosis & Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries, and restricts blood flow, a condition called atherosclerosis. Lack of sleep and sleep disruptions are believed to contribute to atherosclerosis, possibly due to chronic inflammation in the body. Atherosclerosis interferes with normal blood flow, causing coronary heart disease. In severe cases heart attack happens when a coronary artery is completely obstructed. Find out more about common heart diseases in Singapore and what causes them apart from loss of sleep in our in-depth blog post here.
5.Sleep and Stroke
A stroke occurs when the brain cells die from the lack of oxygen because of obstructed blood flow to the brain. Studies have found a correlation between loss of sleep and stroke. Insufficient sleep increases the risk of stroke by elevating blood pressure and contributing to plaque buildup.
Plus1Health has a sleep record,which is compact and exquisite, easy to carry, and can monitor in real-time, record abnormal situations, automatically generate sleep reports and analyses.
Here are two free heart rate monitor apps—”Heart Rate” and ”AFibCheck”, it is simple and convenient to operate,which can be downloaded and used after searching in the mobile app store.
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