Heart Risk from Lack of Sleep
If you regularly sleep for less than seven and a half hours per night, you may be putting your heart health at risk, especially if you already suffer from high blood pressure, according to a Japanese sleep study published in the jounal ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ by Doctor Kazuo Eguchi from Jichi Medical University in Tochigi, Japan.
20 Million People in the UK get less sleep than they need
Sleep enables the physiological and psycholigical restoration and repair of the body. Increasingly stressful modern living, longer commuting and working hours, and all-night shopping and entertainment have all contributed to a worldwide trend towards shorter nights sleep than ever before. Although the average for the United Kingdom is around seven hours, a third of the population – 20 million people – regularly only manage to grab 5 hours sleep or less.
Lack of sleep increases risk of heart disease
However, this lack of sleep may be putting us at increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke as the scientists have discovered that having less than seven and a half hours sleep per night increases the risk factor for heart attack and stroke by up to four times.
The sleep study involved a total of 1255 Japanese patients who were suffering from hypertension, over a period of four years. The patients were aged between 33 and 97 years old, with an average ago of 70. It was discovered that those who had insufficient sleep had a 68 percent increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death from cardiac arrest, with 99 incidents occurring during the study period.
High Blood Pressure and Sleep Deprivation increases risk of cardiovascular problems by 400 percent
The researchers also carried out extensive monitoring of the patients’ blood pressure changes as part of the reseach, and discovered that a relatively small number – twenty of the sleep deprived participants, failed to experience the normal overnight reduction in blood pressure whilst asleep. This smaller subset of the study group were found to be at four times greater risk of cardiovascular problems.
Doctor Eguchi’s team looking for a reason for the sleep study’s findings, believe that a lack of sleep results in greater activity of the nervous system, which also occurs when a persons blood pressure does not fall during the night. This combination in hypertensive patients may cause increased stress of the cardiovascular system, and account for the increased heart disease statistics. It recommends that doctors caring for patients with high blood pressure should investigate and monitor their sleeping patterns more carefully.
It should be noted however, that this study involved patients whose average age was 70 years old, and the results may not necessarily apply to younger people, or those who do not already suffer from high blood pressure.
Chronic deprivation of sleep can also be linked to a number of different health problems, including diabetes and obesity, and there is a link betweeen childhood sleep deprivation and future obesity in adulthood.
What about getting too much sleep ?
Another sleep study carried out at Warwick University in the United Kingdom in 2007 has shown that not only is too little sleep bad for your health, but sleeping for too long can also have harmful effects on your health. This study, carried out by Professor Francesco Cappuccio from the Warwick University Medical School involved over 10,000 government workers in the United Kingdom over a period of 11 – 17 years, and concluded that the optimum amount of sleep is 7 hours per night. However it also uncovered the startling fact that those whose sleep is excessive – more than 8 hours per night, doubled their risk of dying. In these cases however, the cause of death was not primariliy due to heart diseases.
Is there just one easy plan to beat the major heart threats?
There are many websites, books, radio and TV shows, and magazine articles all offering cardiac heart information, and promising the miracle cure to a healthy heart, and protection against death from heart attack, heart disease and heart risk.
This is not surprising as high blood pressure and heart disease affects nearly 1 million people in the United kingdom, and shockingly kills more than 110,000 people annually. It’s a big problem which none of us can afford to ignore.
Heart Deaths Statistics
The number of heart related deaths in the UK alone is the equivalent of thousands of fully loaded jumbo jet airplane crashes each year.
This is a mind numbing statistic, and it is incomprehensible why so many people do not take the time to learn more about this silent but prolific killer in our midst.
Scientific Evidence is key to beating Heart Disease
The key to understanding the condition is to look into the scientific evidence, and to understand the many different factors which may contribute to this devastating disease. This may offer the only hope of fighting back against the threat which blights so many of our lives.
A fascinating study was conducted in 2004 and published in the British Medical Journal, The Lancet. This study titled ‘INTERHEART: Nine factors that could save your life’ made an important discovery by examining the lifestyles of 30,000 people in 52 countries.
Nine Risk factors for Heart Disease
The effect of these nine risk factors is consistent in men and women, across different geographic regions, and by ethnic group, making the study applicable worldwide.
It concluded that irrespective of where you live, how old you are, or what you look like, 90 % of first heart attacks (myocardial infarction) suffered by people can be attributed to nine risk factors, which usually result in a particular type of disease of the heart.
These nine risks are as follows :-
* cigarette smoking
* high ratio of blood lipids (or blood fats)
* high blood pressure (greater than 120 / 80)
* diabetes
* abdominal obesity
* excessive stress
* lack of daily consumption of fruits and vegetables
* insufficient daily physical exercise
* excessive alcohol consumption
An encouraging conclusion from the Interheart report however, is that all the above risk factors can be reduced by positive preventative action by the sufferer.
So, tackling any or all of the above risk factors which you may identify is applicable to your own life, will improve your chances of avoiding serious health problems or death from coronary heart disease.
Lower Blood Pressure Quickly ?
Further advice from the Interheart report concludes that crash courses in heart health improvement are unlikely to produce effective results, and it is very difficult to lower your blood pressure quickly, or improve your general heart health in a hurry. Instead, a progressive and holistic approach involving heart-healthy foods, stress relief, exercise and elimination of unhealthy lifestyle choices are recommended as necessary changes to enjoy a long and healthy life.
Different Types of Heart Disease Medications
What are the different types of heart disease medications?
If you have coronary heart disease (CHD) or are at risk of developing it, your health care professional may prescribe medication to treat your condition, lower your blood cholesterol, or help you to lower your blood
pressure.
But have you wondered why there are so many different types of heart medication available, and what the differences between them are?
This article briefly lists the main categories and what types of treatment they are used for. It is important to understand that whilst heart medications can reduce the risk of having a first or repeat heart attack, you should always look for the underlying causes, with a view to changing your lifestyle if this is a causative factor. You should also make sure that any medication is taken strictly according to the instructions, as directed by your Physician. Categories of Drugs used to treat CHD include:
- ACE Inhibitors
- Aspirin
- Beta Blockers
- Blood Cholesterol Lowering (LDL)
- Calcium Channel Blockers
- Digitalis
- Diuretics
- Nitrates
- Thrombolytic Agents
ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor
This type of drug stops the narrowing of the blood vessels by inhibiting the production of a chemical that causes the condition. This makes it a suitable choice for the control of high blood pressure and also where there has been damage to the heart muscle. Following a heart attack, it may be prescribed to improve the circulation and help the heart to pump blood. It is also used for persons with heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs.
An example of this type of drug is Perindopril, which is commonly available under the brand name Aceon.
You can find a review of this medication here: Aceon
Aspirin
This is a commonly available non-prescription medicine that has been shown to lower the risk of a heart attack, especially for patients who have previously suffered from one. It can also assist in keeping the arteries open after heart bypass or similar artery-opening operations such as coronary angioplasty. However Aspirin does have associated risks, and so is not recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent heart attacks in otherwise healthy individuals.
Beta Blocker
This works by reducing nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels. This slows down the heart rate, and makes it beat with less contracting force, so blood pressure drops and the heart works less hard. It is used to lower high blood pressure, treat chest pain, and to prevent a repeat heart attack.
An example of this type of drug is Metoprolol, which is commonly available under the brand name Toprol-XL. You can find a review of this medication here: Toprol-XL
Blood cholesterol-lowering (LDL)
There are different types of Blood Cholesterol medicine
- lipid- and cholesterol-modifying medicine
- This reduces triglycerides and increases cholesterol carried in high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. HDL cholesterol is sometimes called “good” cholesterol because higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol in the blood are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. The decrease in triglycerides is thought to be due in part to reduced release of triglycerides from fat tissue in the body.
- An example of this type of drug is Gemfibrozil which is commonly available under the brand name Lopid
- Statins
- This type successfully decreases the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood (by up to 60%). This is due to the inhibiting of an enzyme in the body, HMG-CoA Reductase, which controls the rate of cholesterol production by the body itself. They also allow the liver to increase it’s natural ability to remove the LDL Cholesterol from the blood.
- There are currently five statin drugs on the market in the United States: lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, and atorvastatin
Calcium Channel Blocker
Has the effect of relaxing the blood vessels, and is used for the treatment of high blood pressure and chest pain. The cells of the heart contract in order to pump blood into the arteries. This requires calcium which passes into the cells via tiny ‘channels’. Calcium-channel blockers reduce the amount of calcium that goes into these muscle cells, causing them to relax. The effect widens the arteries which helps to lower the blood pressure.
An example of this type of drug is Verapamil, which is also commonly available under the brand name Verapamil.
Digitalis
makes the heart contract harder and is used when the heart’s pumping function has been weakened; it also slows some fast heart rhythms.
An example of this type of drug is Digoxin which is commonly available under the brand name Lanoxin.
Diuretic
Diuretics decrease the fluid level in the body and are used to treat high blood pressure. They are often referred to as “water pills.” because they work by increasing the amount of fluid and salt that is passed in the urine. This has some effect on reducing the fluid in the circulation which reduces blood pressure. They may also have a ‘relaxing’ effect on the blood vessels which reduces the pressure within the blood vessels. Only a low dose of a diuretic is needed to treat high blood pressure. Therefore, the diuretic effect is not particularly noticeable.
An example of this type of drug is Losartan used in combination with Hydrochlorothiazide, which is commonly available under the brand name Hyzaar. You can find a review of this medication here: Hyzaar
Nitrates (including nitroglycerine)
An angina pain develops if part of the heart muscle does not get as much blood and oxygen as it needs. (Blood flow to heart muscle is restricted because the coronary arteries are narrowed.) Nitrates mainly work by relaxing the blood vessels in the body. This causes them to dilate (widen) – Vasodilation. This then makes it easier for the heart to pump blood and reduces the ‘strain’ on the heart. This means the heart muscle does not need as much blood and oxygen supply.
An example of this type of drug is Prazosin which is commonly available under the brand name Minipress. You can find a review of this medication here: Minipress
Thrombolytic agents
These are also called “clot busting drugs,” they are given during a heart attack to break up a blood clot in a coronary artery in order to restore blood flow.
An example of this type of drug is Clopidogrel Bisulfate, which is commonly available under the brand name Plavix.
You can find a review of this medication here:
Plavix
As with all types of drugs, heart drugs can cause side effects. If side effects occur, report them to your doctor. Often, a change in the dose or type of a medication, or the use of a combination of drugs can reduce or eliminate the side effect.
Blood Pressure Terminology
Understanding the condition
Many people who suffer from elevated high blood pressure are not aware that they have the condition. This is due to the lack of observable symptoms, and the fact that many sufferers appear to be, and generally seem to be in good health, even to the point of declaring that they are ‘feeling great’. However, it is an important condition to understand. This is one of the most frequently ocurring medical conditions, which increases with increasing age, and which also increases the risks of stroke and other heart ailments. In order to understand the condition, it is helpful to understand some of most frequently asked questions about blood pressure:
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the measure of the force which the blood exerts against the walls of the main arteries. As the heart responds to stress and physical activities such as exercising, blood pressure rises and falls.
Methods of measuring blood pressure?
Blood pressure is measured through the use of an instrument called sphygmomanometer. The traditional and familiar instrument used by physicians has, in recent years been supplemented through the ready availability of automatic electronic machines which are available for self testing by individuals. The blood pressure reading is indicated, either mechanically or electronically by giving the systolic and diastolic pressures expressed in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
The measurement is written with the systolic pressure above the diastolic pressure or with the systolic number before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mm Hg.
What do the terms systolic pressure and diastolic pressure mean ?
The systolic pressure is the force of the blood exerted as the heart muscle contracts while the diastolic pressure is the measure of the force of the blood against the arteries during the relaxation of the ventricles between beats.
What is the normal blood pressure?
The normal blood pressure of a healthy young adult is about 110/75 (below 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic). As one gets older, the normal blood pressure usually increases – a 60-year old usually has a blood pressure of 130/90.
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure, is known as hypertension. This a condition where the blood pressure measurement is greater than the normal blood pressure even when the individual is resting.
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