Summary of Short Night-Time Sleep Linked With 74% Increased Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease:
A study of over 650,000 people has found that those who sleep less than five hours per night have a 74% higher chance of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD). In this condition, leg arteries become clogged, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Long sleep (eight hours or more per night) was linked with a 24% higher risk of PAD, but no causal relationship was found. The study suggests that lifestyle changes that help people get more sleep, such as being physically active, may lower the risk of developing PAD.
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Sleeping Less Than 5 Hours a Night Linked to Increased Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease, Study Finds
A new study published in the European Heart Journal – Open has found a strong correlation between short sleep durations and an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition where leg arteries become blocked, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. Individuals who sleep less than five hours per night have a 74% higher chance of developing PAD than those who get seven to eight hours of sleep.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, analyzed the associations of sleep duration and daytime napping with the risk of PAD in over 650,000 participants. In observational analyses, sleeping less than five hours a night was associated with a nearly doubled risk of PAD compared to seven to eight hours. This finding was supported by further analyses, which used genetic data to perform naturally randomized controlled trials.
Mendelian randomization, a robust method for evaluating causality, provided more certainty about the research results. The most substantial evidence was for a short sleep, where the relationship with PAD went both ways. The results indicate that brief night-time sleep can raise the chance of developing PAD and that having PAD increases the risk of getting insufficient sleep.
Long Sleep Also Poses Risks
Regarding long sleep, in the same observational analysis, sleeping eight hours or more per night was linked with a 24% higher risk of PAD than seven to eight hours. However, no causal relationships were found between long sleep and PAD. Similar results were reported for napping, where daytime nappers had a 32% higher risk of PAD than those who did not nap, but no causal links were found.
Researcher Recommendations
“More studies are needed on the relationships between long night-time sleep, daytime napping, and PAD. Although we found associations in the observational studies, we could not confirm causality,” said Dr. Yuan. He concluded: “More research is needed on interrupting the bidirectional link between short sleep and PAD. Lifestyle changes that help people get more sleep, such as being physically active, may lower the risk of developing PAD. For patients with PAD, optimizing pain management could enable them to have a good night’s sleep.”
Insufficient Sleep and PAD
PAD affects over 200 million people worldwide. Dr. Yuan said, “Insufficient night-time sleep and daytime napping have previously been associated with a raised risk of coronary artery disease, which, like PAD, is caused by clogged arteries. In addition, sleeping problems are among the top-ranked complaints in PAD patients. There is limited data on sleep habits’ effect on PAD and vice versa, and our study aimed to fill that gap.”
The study’s findings suggest that sleeping seven to eight hours a night is a good habit for lowering the risk of PAD. Further research is needed on the subject to better understand why short sleep increases one’s likelihood of developing the disease. It’s vital to note that interrupting the bidirectional link between short sleep and PAD is essential for preventing health risks.’
Conclusion
The study’s results suggest insufficient sleep increases one’s risk of developing peripheral artery disease. Maintaining sleep in the recommended range of seven to eight hours a night is vital. Long sleep doesn’t appear to have much impact; however, more studies are necessary. It’s essential to continue researching the links between PAD and other health conditions. It is also imperative to improve pain management for those with PAD to mitigate the complications associated with the disease and enable them to have a good night’s sleep.
