Getting good sleep is important for everyone, but for people recovering from heart failure, keeping a regular sleep schedule might be even more critical.
A new study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has found that irregular sleep patterns can double the risk of serious health problems in heart failure patients within just six months of leaving the hospital.
The study was published in the journal JACC Advances.
It followed 32 patients who had recently been treated for severe heart failure at OHSU Hospital and Hillsboro Medical Center.
After leaving the hospital, the patients recorded their sleep habits for one week, noting when they went to bed, when they woke up, and any naps taken during the day.
Based on their sleep diaries, the researchers divided the patients into two groups: those who had regular sleep patterns and those with moderately irregular ones.
Six months later, 21 of the 32 patients had experienced another serious health event. This could be anything from going back to the emergency room to being hospitalized again or, in the worst cases, dying.
Among those 21 patients, 13 had irregular sleep patterns, while only 8 had regular sleep schedules. This shows that people with irregular sleep patterns had more than double the risk of another health problem.
What’s even more significant is that this increased risk remained even when researchers accounted for other medical conditions or sleep disorders. In other words, inconsistent sleep habits alone were linked to worse health outcomes.
The lead researcher, Dr. Brooke Shafer, said the results show just how important it is to go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. “Consistency in sleep timing may be especially important for adults with heart failure,” she explained.
When we sleep, our bodies go into a resting state. This helps lower our blood pressure and heart rate, which gives the heart a chance to recover.
But when sleep schedules are all over the place, it can throw off the body’s natural systems that manage heart and blood pressure. This disruption could be especially dangerous for people whose hearts are already weak from heart failure.
The team believes this is one of the first studies to specifically look at the role of sleep regularity in heart failure recovery. Their findings add to a growing body of research showing how important sleep is for heart health.
They also suggest that improving sleep regularity might be a simple, low-cost way to help people recovering from heart failure avoid more serious health issues.
The researchers now hope to expand their study to include more participants and see whether helping people improve their sleep routines can actually reduce the risk of future hospital visits or emergencies.
So, if you or someone you know is dealing with heart failure, sticking to a regular sleep schedule could be a small change that makes a big difference.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about a new cause of heart rhythm disorders and eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables daily can reduce heart disease risk.
For more about heart health, please read studies about blood thinners that may not prevent stroke in people with heartbeat problems and this diabetes drug may protect heart health in older veterans.
The study is published in JACC: Advances.
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