Heart problems from bad sleep

Those who sleep badly often suffer from heart problems

04/22/2013

Those who sleep badly in the long term risk heart problems. Not infrequently, young patients in the emergency department with heart stumble or palpitations are taken because they have beaten little and bad. So if you want to save your heart, you should sleep more and above all, have a good night.

Heart disease due to sleep disorders
A permanently bad sleep damages the heart. Physicians suspect that more stress hormones are released by sleep disorders, which in turn have a negative effect on the functions of the heart. Not infrequently, this also significantly increases the risk of heart failure. This is reported by the doctor and cardiologist Dr. med. Norbert Smetak, Federal Chairman of the Federal Association of Established Cardiologists (BNK) in Munich.

Jürgen F. (43) sleeps little. Constantly circling thoughts about the work worry him. After a while Mr. F. gets heart problems. Tachycardia, heartache and heart stumbling were some of these complaints. The cause was quickly identified after an examination at the family doctor: „Too less sleep“.

Cold rooms and regular exercise
To sleep better, the cardiologist recommends regular exercise. The promote „a better sleep hygiene“, so Smetak. In addition, it is important to go to bed as often as possible at the same time and possibly ban disturbing factors from the bedroom. For example, most people consider a bright environment and high room temperatures to be a hindrance to getting in and staying asleep.

According to a larger long-term study, people with common sleep disorders develop heart failure three to four times more often after eleven years. Those affected had difficulty falling asleep each night and often could not sleep through. In addition, they complained about a sleep at least once a week after not feeling rested. The observational study involved more than 54,000 adults in Norway. (Sb)