Sleep deprivation linked to heart failure, diabetes, stroke, according to specialist

Sleep Medicine Specialist Andrew Holmes talks about how sleep can help keep our cardiovascular health in check.

February is Heart Month and while a healthy diet and exercise help keep your cardiovascular health in check, the power of sleep is not something you should ignore, according to an Ottawa specialist.

There is a relationship between sleep and cardiovascular health, Andrew Holmes, founder of Sleep Efficiency, told CTV morning Live Friday.

“A lot of people may not associate the two, but sleep plays a critical role in cardiovascular health and longevity. Sleep disorder and sleep deprivation have a profound impact on our overall cardiovascular health,” Holmes said.

Holmes notes cardiologists send referrals to clinics such as Sleep Efficiency to get sleep tests. He notes that the cardiologist often tries to determine whether sleep deficiency is the root-cause of their patients’ problem.

“So, before they start their cardiac care map, often a sleep disorder can be exacerbating the underlying cardiac condition. So, in order to move forward properly with their cardiac care map, they’re kind of ruling in or out whether sleep is the villain … (This) is generally the first step,” he added.

He shares an acronym, H.E.A.R.T.S., that sleep impacts.

H: Heart failure

Patients who suffer from heart failure have often been diagnosed with sleep apnea, he says.

He says the blood oxygen level for people suffering from sleep apnea can go down dramatically during long pauses in the breathing, resulting in the heart failure.

“They should be maintaining above 95 per cent range (of blood oxygen level) while they sleep, but these long pauses, sometimes they’re seventy seconds, our oxygen levels can go down to the 70 per cent or 60 per cent range and that puts an incredible strain on our heart, and ultimately can cause a heart failure,” Holmes explained.

E: Elevated blood pressure

High blood pressure is one of the most common cardiac concerns, according to Holmes. He says sleep can help regulate blood pressure. Holmes notes that blood pressure has the potential of going up when people sleep less than seven hours.

He explains the sleep cycles that we go through when we go to sleep at night.

“Specifically, we want to talk about slow-wave sleep, which is our deep sleep. When we go into that deep sleep, our body’s heart rates drop, our body’s blood pressure drops. It’s the lowest it’s going to be across the night. So, that deep sleep or slow-wave sleep almost acts like a force field around the heart, allowing it to rest and recover,” he said.

A: Atrial fibrillation

He explains Atrial fibrillation as irregular heart beats. Some of its symptoms include heart palpitations or a racing heart.

“This is found regularly in the cardiac community, and often it can be those who’re suffering from insomnia or sleep apnea,” he said.

He reiterates that getting a sleep test can rule out whether sleep is a cause for those palpitations or heart concerns.

R: Resistant hypertension

Not getting enough sleep can be difficult for the medications used to treat hypertension and blood pressure to become effective, Holmes explains.

T: Type 2 diabetes and sleep

Holmes notes that sleep is a huge player when it comes to diabetes, here’s why:

“Those who have type 2 diabetes, 50 per cent of them were found to have sleep apnea,” he said. “So, what’s happening is sleep deprivation and different sleep disorders can cause a disruption in your glucose metabolism, which leads to type 2 insulin resistance, which is a precursor for type 2 diabetes.”

S: Stroke risk

Holmes says undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea for years increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

While sleep apnea doesn’t “necessarily kill you,” he says, it exacerbates the underlying cardiac condition “that induces that cardiac event,” putting you at risk.