Sleep problems increase heart disease risk

 Sleep

Sleep is essential for physical and mental health. Adequate and restful sleep keeps us active and refreshed. Environment is just as important as time and quantity of sleep for good health. Inadequate sleep causes high blood pressure and diabetes. Many suffer from sleep problems such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, etc. On the other hand, patients with heart disease are more prone to sleep disorders.

* How sleep disorders damage the heart

Sleep disorders cause inflammation in the body, which increases the risk of heart problems. Not getting enough sleep (such as insomnia and sleep apnea) increases the risk of heart disease. Those who sleep less (less than 7-8 hours per day) are more prone to myocardial infarction or heart attack. People with sleep apnea are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or having difficulty controlling high blood pressure. If someone has sleep apnea, there is a 50 percent risk of developing hypertension. People with high blood pressure may also have heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heartbeat) and bradycardia (slow heart rate). People with severe sleep apnea are four times more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than healthy controls. Atrial fibrillation is difficult to control if sleep apnea is not treated.

A person suffering from sleep apnea is more likely to develop coronary artery disease or heart disease. If the small blood vessels that supply blood to the heart have less oxygen, the risk of heart disease increases. Which then increases the risk of heart attack. Seventy percent of patients hospitalized for coronary artery disease have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can make heart failure worse.

* Heart disease from sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is when breathing stops during sleep, lasting from ten seconds to several minutes. In this problem, along with stopping breathing during sleep, the oxygen level in the blood decreases. Blood supply to the heart decreases as oxygen levels repeatedly drop during sleep. Which increases the risk of heart attack during sleep. Also, every time the oxygen level drops, the heart rate increases and the blood pressure increases. Severe sleep apnea puts increased pressure on the heart. Which enlarges the heart, leading to heart failure. So talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of poor sleep and discuss whether any treatment is needed.

Talk to your doctor if you have the following symptoms:

▶ Problems with mood balance.

▶ Excessive daytime sleepiness.

▶ Restlessness in bed (delay in falling asleep or falling asleep repeatedly during the night).

 ▶ Severe snoring.

▶ Not waking up refreshed the next morning despite a good night's sleep.

Treating sleep disorders is as essential as any other medical therapy. Both insomnia and sleep apnea are treatable disorders. Insomnia is treated with certain medications and behavioral therapies. Sleep apnea is treated with lifestyle changes such as weight loss and exercise. Also with some devices (CPAP/BPAP), which help keep the airways open. By performing polysomnography or sleep test, the specialist doctor determines the diagnosis of sleep disorders and which treatment is required for a patient.