Poor sleep quality raises risk of clinical HF

Many women experience poor sleep quality, which is associated with an increased risk of clinical heart failure (HF) and death, reveals a recent study, noting that sleep deprivation may result in worse outcomes in both sexes. 

The investigators used the UK Biobank data from 2006 to 2020 to identify individuals with preclinical HF (stage A/B) and examine self-reported sleep characteristics (duration, chronotype, insomnia, snoring, daytime sleepiness) individually and in combination with a sleep quality score. 

A total of 311,446 preclinical HF participants (mean age 57.5 years, 49 percent men) were followed until 2021 for clinical HF (stage C/D) or death. The association between sleep quality and clinical HF or mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models, accounting for competing risks. The investigators also explored the interaction effects among sleep, sex, and deprivation. 

Sleep quality was characterized as healthy in 35 percent, intermediate in 60 percent, and poor in 5 percent of the participants. Overall, 10,780 clinical HF events and 24,996 deaths occurred over a median follow-up of 12 years. 

Low-quality sleep correlated with a higher risk of clinical HF (hazard ratio [HR], 2.03, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.79–2.31 in women; HR, 1.55, 95 percent CI, 1.41–1.71 in men). Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, correlated with increased HF risk across all sleep categories (p<0.01). 

“These findings highlight an opportunity to improve preclinical HF outcomes by addressing sleep quality,” the investigators said.