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Sleep disturbance can lead to stroke and heart attack
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Restless or insufficient sleep, as well as insomnia, can eventually cause acute coronary insufficiency, warn experts from the China University of Medicine in Shenyang. For example, in some European countries, at least 30% of residents have problems with sleep.
Chinese scientists conducted several related studies. They defined insomnia as difficulties falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and “heavy” sleep, which does not give a person a feeling of rest and recovery. The latest study has proven that such sleep disorders directly affect the development of heart and vascular diseases, namely heart attacks and strokes.
Scientists have spent a lot of time carefully studying disorders related to sleep quality. A very important point was to find a connection between insomnia and heart and vascular diseases. During the study, such diseases as heart attack, heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and cerebrovascular accident were studied. In total, almost 12 thousand cases of such complications related to sleep disorders were found.
The researchers analyzed a large number of scientific papers on this topic and noted that during the initial clinical examination it was not possible to find any additional pathogenetic factors for the occurrence of the above-mentioned diseases, and the patients themselves did not present any complaints.
Based on this, scientists concluded that the development of most heart and vascular diseases was associated with regular episodes of sleep deprivation or poor sleep. At the same time, a greater percentage of cases of heart attack or stroke were related to problems with falling asleep, when a person tosses and turns for a long time in an attempt to fall asleep.
Scientists note that sleep is vital for any person – and, first of all, in order to restore and establish the correct functioning of the body. The head of the research states that people who suffer from certain sleep disorders must be informed about the possible negative consequences of insomnia – mainly so that they promptly seek medical advice.
Previously, American scientists had already conducted experiments to establish a connection between sleep disorders and adverse changes in the heart and blood vessels of the brain. As a result, the scientists received an accurate picture of the brain activity of rodents, including those areas of the brain that are responsible for sleep disorders. Having analyzed the information received, specialists were convinced that a failure in the normal sleep regime can lead to a disorder of the cognitive ability of the brain, to a weakening of memory and attention. In addition, insomnia leads to a disruption of normal human life processes: a person who has not had enough rest becomes hot-tempered and nervous, which also has a detrimental effect on the activity of the cardiovascular system. Given this, it is very important to stop the development of insomnia as early as possible, without waiting for adverse consequences.
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