Do you have insomnia? Insomnia is a sleep disorder which makes it hard for you to sleep and lower your sleep quality. Insomnia usually occurs in those who have high stress levels, depression, and a bad lifestyle. Low sleep quality can certainly affect your health.

Not only can make you feel frustrated, insomnia can also be bad for your heart. In a recent study conducted by Uppsala University and the University of Cambridge, it was found that people with insomnia were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Insomnia can increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes which can increase the riskof cardiovascular disease.

In contrast to previous studies, in the study, the researchers used the Mendelian Randomisation (MR) method. This method uses genetic markers to investigate whether there are risk factors that can cause certain diseases. Researchers analysed data on 1.3 million participants with or without a history of cardiovascular disease.

As a result, the researchers found that those with the genetic variant of insomnia had a 12% higher risk of developing coronary artery disease. In addition, the results of the study also showed that those with insomnia had a 16% higher chance of risk of heart failure and 7% higher for all types of stroke.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Larsson, S.C., and Markus, H.S., (2019). Genetic Liability to Insomnia and Cardiovascular Disease Risk. Circulation, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041830.
• Healthline - Insomnia May Be Linked to Heart Disease, Stroke Risk (2019). https://www.healthline.com/health-news/insomnia-may-be-linked-to-heart-disease-stroke-risk, 27 August 2019.
• Medical News Today - Study links insomnia genes to heart disease, stroke risk (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326130.php, 27 August 2019.