Sleeping less than five hours a night is associated with a 74% increased likelihood of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), compared to sleeping seven to eight hours, according to a study by the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
The study sought to investigate the association between sleep habits and PAD, a condition affecting over 200 million people worldwide that involve clogged arteries in the legs, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
The study involved over 650,000 participants and comprised two parts. First, researchers analyzed associations between sleep duration and daytime napping, and the risk of PAD.
In the second part, genetic data were used to perform Mendelian randomization—naturally randomized controlled trials—to examine the causality of the associations.
Observational analysis of 53,416 adults revealed that sleeping less than five hours a night was associated with almost double the risk of PAD compared to those sleeping seven to eight hours.
In further analyses involving larger sample sizes, the same association was observed. Moreover, the Mendelian randomization revealed a bidirectional relationship between short sleep and PAD:
not only was short sleep associated with an increased risk of PAD, but PAD was also associated with an increased likelihood of short sleep.
Long sleep duration, defined as eight or more hours per night, was associated with a 24% higher risk of PAD compared to sleeping seven to eight hours, according to an observational analysis of 53,416 adults.
This finding was also supported by further analyses. However, no causal relationships were found between long sleep and PAD.
Daytime nappers had a 32% higher risk of PAD compared to non-nappers, but no causal links were found.
“More studies are needed on the relationships between lengthy night-time sleep, daytime napping and PAD,” said Dr. Shuai Yuan, the study’s author.
Implications and Recommendations
The study highlights the potential importance of maintaining a healthy sleep duration—around seven to eight hours per night—to lower the risk of PAD.
Dr. Yuan noted the need for more research on how to break the bidirectional link between short sleep and PAD. He suggested that lifestyle changes promoting more sleep, such as being physically active, might lower the risk of developing PAD.
For PAD patients, optimizing pain management could help them achieve better night-time sleep.
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The study was published in European Heart Journal.
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