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Long sleep increases the risk of developing heart disease by 2 times
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Scientists from the United States have found that sleeping too long or too short increases the risk of developing heart disease, according to the American College of Cardiology.
To find the link between sleep duration and heart health, the researchers retrospectively examined 3,019 patients over the age of 45 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They found that those who slept less than six hours a night were twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack, and were 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
At the same time, long sleep also turned out to be harmful: those who spent more than eight hours in bed were twice as likely to suffer from angina pectoris and 1.1 times more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.
Based on these findings, it can be argued that getting at least six and no more than eight hours of sleep per night minimizes the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in the long term.
Previous studies have linked insufficient sleep to sympathetic nervous system hyperactivation, impaired glucose tolerance (prediabetes), diabetes, and increases in cortisone levels, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and markers of inflammation, all of which are associated with cardiovascular disease.
However, scientists still do not understand why too much sleep is also harmful. The authors of the study believe that heavy sleepers who seek medical attention for chest pains have been subjected to more thorough and in-depth clinical examinations than those who sleep less than six hours and do not experience such pain. Long-term studies are needed to find out whether this is true. If they prove that too much and too little sleep are harmful, doctors will be able to identify patients at high risk of developing heart disease by asking about their sleep habits.
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