Study links insomnia to heart issues

Sleep difficulties, a problem for as many as 70 million Americans, can double one's risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to a study.

Researchers in Taiwan found during the trial's four years that insomniacs were twice as likely to have heart attacks or strokes as those without the sleep disorder.

Their study was reported Sunday at the American Heart Association meeting in Los Angeles.

The findings add to previous research showing a lack of sleep can contribute to high blood pressure, and waking too early may raise heart risks. Sleep should be part of the patient-doctor discussion during checkups, said Kristen Knutson, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago who wasn't part of the study.

"A lot of people and many physicians don't ask about sleep," said Knutson. "The first thing is to talk to their patients and also for the patients to talk to their doctors about their sleep and discussing sleep as one of the many important health behaviors like diet and exercise."

How lack of sleep contributes to heart attacks and strokes is uncertain, said Knutson. It may be that the body's "fight or flight" system is more active with not enough sleep, which can increase heart rate and over time increase blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease, she said. -- Bloomberg News