Irregular Sleep Linked to Increased Risk for Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Irregular sleep is associated with an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), according to a study published online Nov. 26 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Jean-Philippe Chaput, Ph.D., from the Children”s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study of adults aged 40 to 79 years from the U.K. Biobank who wore wrist-attached accelerometers for seven days. For each participant, Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) scores were calculated and categorized as irregular, moderately irregular, or regular (SRI <71.6, 71.6 to 87.3, and >87.3, respectively).

Data were analyzed for 72,269 individuals followed for eight years without a previous history of MACE and with no event in the first year of follow-up. The researchers found that the risk for MACE was higher for irregular and moderately irregular sleepers versus regular sleepers (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.26 [1.16 to 1.37] and 1.08 [1.01 to 1.70], respectively). Treating SRI as a continuous measure, dose-response analyses showed that SRI was associated with the risk for MACE in a near-linear manner, with a steeper risk reduction at higher SRI scores. Meeting the age-specific sleep duration recommendation offset MACE risk for moderately irregular sleepers (hazard ratio, 1.07; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.96 to 1.18), but not for irregular sleepers (hazard ratio, 1.19; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.35), in joint SRI and sleep duration analyses.

“Findings from this study suggest that more attention needs to be paid to sleep regularity in public health guidelines and clinical practice due to its potential role in cardiovascular health,” the authors write. “Future studies are needed to explore whether interventions aimed at improving sleep regularity might improve cardiovascular health.”

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)