Sleeping less than five hours a night is associated with an almost double risk of vascular disease of the peripheral arteries: this is revealed by a study published in the European Heart Journal involving more than 650,000 people. “Our study suggests that getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night is a good habit to reduce the risk of this condition,” says study author Shuai Yuan of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. More than 200 million people worldwide suffer from peripheral arterial disease, a condition in which the arteries in the legs become blocked, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. The researchers analyzed associations between sleep duration and daytime naps and peripheral arterial disease risk, then used a technique called “Mendelian randomization” to examine whether there was a cause-and-effect relationship between sleep disturbances and peripheral arterial disease.
It emerged that sleeping less than five hours a night is associated with an almost double (+74%) risk of peripheral arterial disease compared to seven to eight hours. As regards the existence of a cause and effect association between the two conditions (disturbed sleep and peripheral arterial disease), it has been seen that, on the one hand, those who sleep little have an increased risk of peripheral arterial disease, on the other, those who already suffer peripheral arterial disease is more likely to get little sleep; In short, one disorder causes another and vice versa. “More research is needed on how to break the two-way link between poor sleep and peripheral artery disease,” Yuan said. “Lifestyle changes that help people get more sleep, such as being physically active, may reduce their risk of developing condition. Also, for those already suffering from it, managing the pain associated with the disease could allow patients to sleep well.”
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