Why sleeping well could avert 70% of heart disease

SEVEN in ten cases of heart disease and stroke could be prevented if everyone got a good night’s sleep, a major study suggests.

Scientists tracked more than 7,000 healthy adults aged 50 to 75 for a decade and found just one in ten regularly slept well.

those who slept well had a 75 per cent lower incidence of heart disease or stroke than the poorest sleepers.

Experts estimate 72 per cent of new cases could be prevented every year if all adults got high-quality rest, and are calling for children to be taught the crucial role sleep plays in health.

Around 100,000 people die from heart disease or stroke in the UK each year, meaning tens of thousands may be saved simply by improving the nation’s sleep.

lead scientist Dr Aboubakari nambiema, from the French national institute of Health and Medical research, said: ‘Our study illustrates the potential for sleeping well to preserve heart health and suggests that improving sleep is linked with lower risks of coronary heart disease and stroke. Given that cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death worldwide, greater awareness is needed on the importance of good sleep for maintaining a healthy heart.’

Scientists scored volunteers out of five for five key sleeping habits, with zero being the lowest mark.

they included sleeping seven to eight hours per night, never or rarely having insomnia, no daytime sleepiness or sleep apnoea and being a morning person.

After eight years of follow-ups, 274 of the 7,203 participants had had a heart attack or stroke.

Experts found risk fell by 22 per cent for every single point rise in the sleep score. Around 7 per cent of people had the lowest mark of either zero or one – while the majority scored either a three or four.

Professor russell Foster, from the Sleep and circadian neuroscience institute at Oxford University, said a lack of sleep leaves the body stressed and urged people to prioritise sleep by going to bed at a fixed time and ditching excess caffeine and booze.

the British Heart Foundation’s Professor James leiper said the study ‘looked at more aspects of sleep than most previous research, adding to the evidence of a link between sleep and heart disease’.

the findings were presented at the European Society of cardiology annual congress in Barcelona.