People who suffer from insomnia have a 69% higher risk of having a heart attack, with a higher risk for women, researchers from the American College of Cardiology found. The results of the study were published in the journal Clinical Cardiology.
Experts analyzed 1226 studies. In total, data from more than 1 million adults were evaluated, of which 150,000 suffered from insomnia. Most patients (96%) did not have a history of heart attack. During the study, heart attacks occurred in 2,400 people with insomnia and 12,000 people without insomnia.
People who slept five hours or less a night had the highest risk of a heart attack, and people with diabetes and insomnia were twice as likely to have a heart attack.
“Not surprisingly, people with insomnia who also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes had an even higher risk of heart attack than those who didn’t. People with diabetes who also suffer from insomnia were twice as likely to have a heart attack. It is also important that women are more likely to suffer from insomnia, so for them the risks are increased, ”the authors explained.
Trouble falling or staying asleep was also associated with a 13% higher chance of having a heart attack compared to people without these symptoms. Those who only complained of feeling overwhelmed upon waking without any lack of sleep were not at increased risk of heart attacks.
