Lack of enough sleep increases risk of stroke, heart attacks – Experts

Lack of enough sleep increases the risk of potentially fatal heart attacks and strokes, health experts have revealed. The experts also warned that women are at higher risk because they are more prone to insomnia.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with the Daily Times, Dr. Anthony Nweke, a private medical practitioner in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said that over 160,000 people found a clear association between sleep problems and the debilitating effects of a heart attack or stroke.

‘’Difficulty getting off to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up not feeling refreshed increased the risks by 27 per cent, 11 per cent, and 18 per cent respectively.

‘’Women are at a slightly higher risk than men as they are more prone to insomnia because of differences in genetics, sex hormones and their reaction to stress’’, Dr Nweke added.

He advised that sleep should be prioritized alongside exercise and diet as key to live a long and healthy life.

‘’Sleep is vital as a restorative time and plays a significant role in healing and repairing the heart and blood vessels. It also gives the immune system and the cardiovascular system a rest and allows other organs to be restored.

‘’The connection between insomnia symptoms and incidents or death from cardiovascular disease, include acute myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and heart failure, or stroke, or a combination of issues.

Chronic short sleep produce hormones and chemicals in the body, which increases the risk of developing heart disease, strokes and other conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, according to Dr Olaye Nelson, of Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital.

He said, “If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep you stand a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15% greater chance of developing or dying from a stroke.

‘’The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions.

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“There is an expectation in today’s society to fit more into our lives. The whole work/life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us.

“But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular disease resulting in, for example, heart attacks’’, he said.

He also warned of the implications of sleeping too much, more than nine hours at a stretch, which may be an indicator of illness, such as cardiovascular disease.

“By ensuring you have about seven hours’ sleep a night; you are protecting your future health, and reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses. The link is clear from our research: get the sleep you need to stay healthy and live longer.”

Ellen Suswam, a matron at Katsina Ala general hospital said, “We know sleep is essential for staying healthy.

“Although there appears to be an association between heart and circulatory disease and lack of sleep, it is not yet fully understood.

There seem to be some hormonal and chemical changes in the body when lack of sleep occurs, so over a period of time these may have some impact on the heart and circulatory system.

“There are plenty of reasons why sleep deprivation is a problem. Easy internet access, a growing number of TV channels, financial worries and longer working hours all distract us from going to bed.

But it’s important more of us make sleep a priority and get our restorative six-eight hours a night’’, she added.