A large study from Sweden has found that people who sleep less than five hours a night have a much higher risk of developing a serious health condition called peripheral artery disease, or PAD. The research was led by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and looked at health and sleep patterns in more than 650,000 people.
PAD happens when the blood vessels in the legs become clogged or narrowed, which makes it harder for blood to flow. This can cause pain while walking and raise the chances of having a stroke or heart attack. PAD is a serious disease that affects millions of people around the world, especially older adults and those with health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
The study was done in two parts. In the first part, researchers looked at how long people sleep at night and whether they take naps during the day. They then compared this information with how many people developed PAD.
In the second part, they used a special scientific method called Mendelian randomization, which looks at genetic data to help understand if a certain factor, like sleep, causes a disease rather than just being linked to it.
The results were clear. People who slept less than five hours a night had a 74% higher chance of getting PAD compared to people who slept between seven and eight hours, which is considered a healthy amount. Even more, the results showed that the relationship between sleep and PAD works both ways. People with PAD were also more likely to sleep poorly or for short periods.
The researchers also found that sleeping too much—eight or more hours a night—was linked with a slightly higher risk of PAD (about 24% higher), but when they looked more closely using genetic data, they didn’t find proof that long sleep actually caused PAD. It may be that people who are already unwell tend to sleep more, rather than long sleep leading to illness.
The study also looked at daytime naps. People who often took naps during the day had a 32% higher risk of developing PAD than those who didn’t nap. However, like long nighttime sleep, napping was not shown to be a direct cause of PAD when looking at genetic data. It’s possible that people who nap more often already have health problems that make them tired.
Overall, the research supports the idea that getting around seven to eight hours of sleep each night is best for heart and blood vessel health. Sleeping too little, in particular, appears to raise the risk of PAD in a meaningful way.
The scientists noted that healthy habits, like getting regular physical activity, can help people sleep better and may reduce their risk of PAD. They also pointed out that for people already living with PAD, managing pain properly may improve sleep and overall health.
This study highlights the importance of sleep—not just for feeling well, but also for preventing serious diseases. While more research is needed, these findings suggest that taking care of your sleep is one more way to take care of your heart and blood vessels.
The research was led by Dr. Shuai Yuan and was recently published by the Karolinska Institute.
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