Insomnia Increases The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

Insomnia increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

Scientists have found that people genetically predisposed to insomnia are more likely to develop heart failure, stroke, and coronary heart disease.

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People suffering from insomnia are potentially at increased risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke, according to a new joint Swedish-British study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. The new study builds on earlier findings that there are about 250 gene variants, each of which slightly increases the risk of insomnia.

"If this is true, then the ability to improve sleep or reduce sleep disturbance will help reduce the risk of stroke," said Hugh Markus, co-author of the study at the University of Cambridge.

Previous studies have found a link between insomnia and an increased risk of developing these diseases, but, being observational, could not determine if insomnia was a catalyst.

The aforementioned insomnia study, the first of its kind, looked at four large databases of 1.3 million people with and without cardiovascular disease. The researchers used Mendelian randomization, a technique that uses genetic variants associated with a potential risk factor (in this case, insomnia). It helps to identify causal relationships between gene variants, their functions and the development of diseases.

The researchers found that genetic variants of insomnia were associated with a significantly higher likelihood of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and all types of ischemic stroke (especially due to atherosclerosis of the large arteries). The relationship between a predisposition to insomnia and atrial fibrillation has not been identified.

“It is important to identify the cause of insomnia and eliminate it. Sleep is behavior that can be changed by new habits and stress management,”explained lead author Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

The study has some limitations. First, only the genetic predisposition to insomnia was studied, and not the actual night's sleep, and second, the majority of the participants were of European origin. Since insomnia affects 30% of the world's population, further research is needed to assess the link between insomnia and cardiovascular disease and stroke.