Napping increases risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease
In the United States, United Kingdom and Northern European countries we’re often told that the best way to improve our afternoon concentration and attention span in the Office, or at home, is by taking a nap after lunch - like the Siestas taken by the folks down in Mexico and the hot Southern European countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece.
Diabetes UK Charity – new study confirms link
However a new study from a United Kingdom charity – Diabetes UK – seems to indicate that having a regular nap, or even a single nap per week, could increase our risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by more than one fourth.
This serious disease is now reaching epidemic proportions and increasing rapidly in many western countries, and we’re especially concerned about it because it also poses a serious longer term threat to our heart health.
Serious complications – heart disease and stroke
Type 2 Diabetes is a condition that affects over 2 million British people, where the body is unable to properly regulate the levels of sugar in the blood, and the sufferer must take insulin medication tablets for the rest of their life. There is currently no cure for diabetes. If the condition is not managed carefully it can lead to a number of possible future medical complications such as coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, gangrene or blindness, so it is something we definitely want to avoid getting if at all possible.
Some scientists have cautioned that the apparent increased risk of developing diabetes amongst nap takers may just be linked to other lifestyle factors. For instance these people are possibly more likely to be physically inactive, and have more unhealthy lifestyles than the rest of the study participants.
But daytime napping may also cause disturbance to normal nocturnal sleeping patterns – a problem that is all too common amongst night time and shift workers. This lack of sleep can cause coronary heart disease and cancer, as well as an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, compared with those who adhere to normal sleeping patterns based on the natural environmental rhythms of night and day lighting conditions. It is believed that this is due to the trigger of hormonal and other body functions that inhibit and interfere with the normal production of insulin, which controls the body’s critical system of blood sugar regulation.
Obesity still far greater risk for Diabetes
The study was based on scientific data collected from more than 16,000 older Chinese volunteers, and also considered mitigating factors such as obesity. It compared those who never took a daytime nap, with those who took at least one period of daytime sleep per week. It’s results were presented by the Director of Research at Diabetes UK – Doctor Iain Frame, who cautioned that despite the increased risk discovered by this study, obesity and weight problems still represented by far, a more serious threat of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Stroke mis-diagnosis costs lives – how to avoid it
By learning to understand what causes stroke, and recognise stroke signs and symptoms you could save the life of a loved one or family member.
This follows the recent death of a 48 year old British man – Jeffrey Wingrove, a former marathon athlete, who died from the stroke injury and the complications resulting from the delays by a United Kingdom healthcare provider’s out-of-hours on-call doctors. Despite repeated requests for assistance from the man’s wife, they failed to correctly diagnose the symptoms of stroke on three separate occasions.
What happened ?
This is a brief summary of the key events in this medical emergency. Not all details have been included for the sake of brevity :-
- Jeffery Wingrove collapsed after suffering from severe headaches, sweating and vomiting
- He managed to crawl to his bedroom, but was unable to move his right side easily – showing symptoms of a right stroke
- His wife called the doctor, but was referred to an alternative doctors office who were handling local requests for advice during the the night time
- Mrs Wingrove requested a home visit as her husband was too unwell to get out of bed, and he was too heavy for her to move
- On two occasions, doctors from the company declined to visit the patient at his home
- They advised her to collect a prescription for pain killing medication from a local pharmacy
- Eventually Mrs Wingrove called paramedics, who took the patient to Broomfield hospital in Braintree, United Kingdom, then transferred him to neurosurgical ward at Queen’s Hospital in Romford
- Despite having emergency surgery at the hospital he died from the stroke damage to his brain
- The total elapsed time from the man starting to feel unwell to his death was less than 48 hours
What lessons can be learned from this tragedy ?
We at Lower Blood Pressure sympathise whole heartedly with the Wingrove family, however we exist to educate, inform and hopefully help you – our readers – to avoid any repeat of this unfortunate, and we believe, avoidable episode in your own lives and families. So what what can we learn from this sad story ?
Lesson 1
We must educate ourselves to know how to quickly recognise the stroke signs and symptoms. This is the most important factor in helping to save the life of a husband or a wife or an elderly relative. Because Mrs Wingrove did not know that her husband was displaying signs of a stroke, she attempted to contact the family’s doctor, rather than the emergency services.
We have a feature article all about Stroke, and how you can recognise the symptoms – you can find it here – it explains all about the FAST (Face – Arm – Speech ) test, which is the most effective way to diagnose the early signs of the onset of stroke.
Lesson 2
We must act quickly if we suspect that any ONE of the FAST symptoms described above is present in the patient. It is absolutely essential to CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY, as this may save vital time in getting the proper treatment to the patient, which is best given at a hospital or ER Center.
Stroke symptoms awareness and fast treatment are key to stroke survival
Although the family have taken out and won a law suit, and received substantial compensation in an out-of-court settlement over Mr Wingrove’s treatment, the fact remains that he could possibly have survived this stroke damage. If everyone involved in the management of this man’s illness had had a greater awareness of this devastating life threatening condition, he may have been diagnosed and treated more quickly, and may have been alive today.
Hypertension
Definition of Hypertension
Hypertension disease is defined as when a persons blood pressure is constantly higher than the recommended level. The United Kingdom hypertension statistics make for alarming reading, with approximately one quarter of the adult population suffering from this condition, which has been labelled as ‘the silent killer’.
If you have undetected high blood pressure, you run the risk of developing serious complications, including a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Over an extended period of time it can cause the heart to become enlarged, or it’s ability to pump blood around the body to become less effective, which is known as heart failure. Other organ damage may result, such as kidney failure or eye damage.
Because Hypertension symptoms are rarely noticeable, and seldom make people actually feel unwell, the only way of knowing whether or not you may be suffering from it is to have your blood pressure tested regularly. A worrying statistic is that over a third of people with hypertension remain undiagnosed and are not receiving treatment for it, and this is putting their heart health and life at risk.
Important Note :-
Hypertension is a serious condition
It can represent a very real long term threat to your life
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is caused by the pumping action of the heart forcing the blood to flow through the arteries (which are the blood vessels that transport blood from the heart to the rest of the body). A certain amount of pressure in the arteries is normal and is necessary for normal circulation. However, if the blood pressure becomes consistently too high it becomes a health hazard, as it can damage the arteries, by causing them to thicken and become less elastic. This, in turn, limits the flow of blood and may cause permanently raised blood pressure.
What causes Hypertension?
In over 90% of cases there is no single underlying cause for elevated blood pressure. However there are certain known hypertension risk factors which should be avoided, as they can all contribute to the hypertension cause. The major risk factors are :-
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Being overweight or obese
- Eating too much salt
- Not doing enough exercise
- Not eating enough fruit and vegetables
- excessive anxiety
- Certain types of medications – your doctor will always ask you if you are taking any type of medication when you visit
High blood pressure can also be hereditary, as it does tend to occur in families, and in a very small number of cases it can be attributed to a single cause, such as kidney disease.
How do I know if I have hypertension ?
There are few symptoms of hypertension, so potential hypertension patient education is very important. All adults should have their blood pressure checked at least once every five years, but preferably more often, especially as you get older, as blood pressure usually rises with age. Hypertension diagnosis will usually be given by your physician.
Your doctor will know your medical history, and will make the diagnosis from a succession of blood pressure readings. This is given as two numbers, which represent millimetres of mercury or mmHg.
The first number is called the systolic pressure, which is the force of the blood as the heart contracts to pump it around the body.
The second number is called the diastolic pressure, which is the force while the heart is relaxing and filling with blood again in preparation for the next contraction.
A normal reading for an adult should generally be no higher than 140/85mmHg. People with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, should aim for a blood pressure even lower than this – around 130/80mmHg or below.
Several readings should be taken over a period of time to get an accurate measurement as blood pressure can fluctuate and one high reading does not necessarily mean a person has hypertension.
Is there a cure or treatment for Hypertension ?
Hypertension cure may be a misleading term. If you have high blood pressure, it is essential to control it, but this will require constant vigilance and treatment on your part. But this will pay big health dividends, as reducing your blood pressure by 5mmHg can lower your risk of having a heart attack by about 20%. There are many lifestyle changes a person can make to reduce their risk of hypertension or help to lower their blood pressure if it is already high. To reduce your blood pressure, or prevent it from getting high, you can follow some or all of the following hypertension guidelines :-
- Do more physical activity
- Keep to a healthy weight
- Cut down on your salt intake
- Cut down on alcohol
- Eat more fruit and vegetables
- learn to control your anxiety and stress levels
Also your doctor may prescribe hypertension drugs to help reduce your blood pressure and protect your heart. Various types of hypertension medications are available to help lower blood pressure, including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics. Doctors and heart specialists often prescribe a combination of these.
Whilst Smoking is not a direct risk factor for high blood pressure, it does increase the chance of suffering a heart attack, heart failure or a stroke. If you quit smoking, then within two years, your risk of suffering a heart attack is halved.
Anxiety Increases the Risk of Heart Attack
Most people have heard that stress is bad for the heart. Many people also know about the debilitating effects of anxiety and depression. But evidence is now emerging that these negative psychological factors appear to play a significant role in the risk of having a heart attack. People suffering from anxiety and depression have up to a 50% higher risk of developing heart disease according to two new studies conducted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in London, and professor Biing-Jiun Shen, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles.
Stress and Anxiety definition
Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, nervous, or even anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another. Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. You may not know the source of this uneasiness, which can add to the distress you feel. Anxiety disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety.
Although stress has previously been linked with heart problems, the studies have shown that anxiety, especially heightened levels of anxiety, or chronic anxiety causes the increased risk of damage to the heart.
Anxiety tends to lead to poor lifestyle habits
However the poor health habits of those people suffering from anxiety appear to be the main causes of their increased risk of heart disease, according to the British research, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Two thirds of that increased risk are due to two specific factors which contribute to these statistics – smoking and a lack of exercise, as people suffering from anxiety and depression are more likely to smoke tobacco and lead an inactive lifestyle.
British Anxiety Study finds 50% increased risk of heart problems
The British study was Led by Dr. Mark Hamer, a senior researcher from University College London, and involved more than 6000 people who took part in an anxiety test designed to measure their general happiness or symptoms of depression and anxiety, whilst also being tested for common risk factors for heart disease. The survey found that around 15% of the participants were found to be suffering from stress, natural anxiety or depression.
The same people were then monitored for seven years, and statistics were gathered for the numbers of deaths and illnesses from heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and those requiring heart bypass surgery, plus other coronary-related illnesses.
During that period there were 223 cardiovascular events recorded including 63 deaths. After age and sex were taken into account, people with depression and anxiety faced more than a 50 percent increased risk when compared to happier people.
American Study broadly agrees with British Study findings
The American study led by lead researcher professor Shen, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, has independently concluded that there is a link between anxiety and heart attack amongst otherwise healthy older men. This is despite the fact that the research took into account, and corrected for other risk factors such as anger, hostility, depression and type A personality factors, plus the standard cardiovascular risk factors and general health habits.
Shen’s study involved 735 men who took part in the ‘Normative Aging Study’ research, which assesses medical and psychological changes associated with aging. Each of the men were examined in 1986 and had no heart problems at the time. They were tracked for an average of 12 years, after which the researchers found that the men who had chronic anxiety had a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of heart attack. Those with the highest individual levels of anxiety according to psychological testing had an even higher risk of heart attack. These results broadly agree with the results of the British survey.
Evidence from studies indicates anxiety is independent risk factor for heart disease
The evidence from these studies indicates that anxiety not only represents an independent risk factor for heart attack but may also explain the associations between heart attack risk with other psychosocial risk factors. Exaggerated responses to acute and chronic stress in anxious individuals may trigger a number of different ways that increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease and being stricken with a heart attack. Highly anxious individuals should be aware they may face an increased risk of a heart attack and take proactive steps, under the supervision of a physician, to control their cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, blood cholesterol (lipid) levels, activity level and weight.
This research also implies that a wider approach to providing anxiety help in society is necessary, but also an approach to combat the unhealthy behaviours which occur as a result of people who slide into poor lifestyles as a result of their anxiety or depression.
Further studies are needed to assess benefits to heart health of anxiety disorder treatment
Further studies will be required to discover whether providing anxiety disorder treatment actually reduces the risk of heart attack, but the implication is that it is something that doctors should be aware of when their patients present themselves with symptoms of anxiety and depression, as anxiety treatments could reduce their risk of developing heart disease until a definitive anxiety cure is discovered.