People genetically susceptible to insomnia have higher risks of heart disease and stroke. Today we know more about this link.
Insomnia would be linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure or stroke. This is shown by a new study published in the journal American Heart Association Circulation but specifying that the genetic signs of the predisposition to insomnia would be more involved than the insomnia itself.
Could insomnia be the cause of this higher risk of cardiovascular disease or is it simply associated with it? That’s the question lead author Susanna Larsson set out to answer as the association between insomnia, which affects up to 30% of the general population, and an increased risk of heart disease and of stroke has been established by several previous observational studies.
A group of 1.3 million people
In this first-of-its-kind new study, Susanna Larsson and her colleague observed a group of 1.3 million people with or without heart disease and stroke using genetic variants known to be linked to a potential risk factor, such as insomnia, to reduce bias in the results.
The researchers found that genetic variants of insomnia were associated with significantly higher risks of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and ischemic stroke (particularly large strokes), but not atrial fibrillation.
“Sleep is a behavior that can be changed”
“It is important to identify the underlying reason for insomnia and to treat it, emphasizes Susanna Larsson, because sleep is a behavior that can be modified by new habits and stress management”. But the author of the study also specifies that the limits of the conclusions of her work is that the link does exist between a genetic variant of insomnia and cardiovascular disease but not with insomnia itself. According to Susanna Larsson, it was not possible to determine whether people with cardiovascular disease and in whom this variant was found actually suffered from insomnia.
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