Insomnia Symptoms Are Associated With Abnormal Endothelial Function

Abstract

Background Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder and it has been increasingly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The reasons for this relationship are not completely understood but may involve endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we hypothesized that insomnia symptoms would be associated with reduced endothelial function. Methods Working adults [n=496, 67.5% female, 78.6% white, mean age: 48.7±10.8 years, body mass index (BMI): 28.2±6.7 kg/m2, diabetes: 5.8%, hypertension: 20.0%, hyperlipidemia: 17.9%, heart disease: 2.6%] enrolled in the Emory-Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute study completed baseline demographic, clinical, depression (Beck Depression Inventory II; BDI-II), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7) sleep (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index , PSQI) and non-invasive endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation; FMD) measures. Insomnia symptoms were defined as subjective sleep latency of ≥ 30 minutes, nighttime or early morning awakenings and/or sleep medication use occurring ≥ 3 times per week in the past month. Results Insomnia symptoms were reported by 39.5% of participants. Multivariable regression models showed that insomnia symptoms, age, baseline artery diameter and dyslipidemia were inversely related to FMD. After adjusting for age, baseline artery diameter, and dyslipidemia participants reporting insomnia symptoms had lower FMD than participants reporting better sleep (adjusted FMD means= 6.13%±0.28 vs 6.83%±0.26, p=.035). Conclusion In this study insomnia symptoms were associated with reduced FMD. Research examining the therapeutic benefits of treating insomnia on endothelial function and future cardiovascular risk is warranted.

Effects of exercise and stress management training on nighttime blood pressure dipping in patients with coronary heart disease: A randomized, controlled trial

“…Both exercise and stress management training have been shown to produce favorable changes in physiological regulatory systems, including improved vascular endothelial vasodilatory function. 19 Interestingly, impaired endothelial function has been linked both to nighttime hypertension and insomnia 31, 32 . Although exercise did not result in improved heart rate variability (HRV) measured during supine deep breathing, stress management training did improve HRV compared to Usual Care.…”

Electric Field Exposure Improves Subjective Symptoms Related to Sleeplessness in College Students: A Pilot Study of Electric Field Therapy for Sleep Disorder

“…Fatigue, daytime sleepiness, mood disturbance, decreased performance, and cognitive impairment induced by poor sleep [ 13 - 15 ] can affect quality of life negatively [ 16 , 17 ]. Moreover, there is a relationship between sleep disorders and morbidity rates of various diseases such as hypertension [ 18 ], diabetes mellitus [ 19 , 20 ], atherosclerosis [ 21 ], cardiovascular disease [ 22 , 23 ], dementia [ 24 ], and depression [ 25 ]. Also, not only morbidity but even mortality has been reported in patients with sleep disorder [ 26 ].…”

Clinical trial research on Mongolian medical warm acupuncture in treating insomnia

“…The clinical data have shown that longterm insomnia will cause increased morbidity rates of many disease such as heart diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, senile dementia, depression, and anxiety. Therefore [2], the 2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine effective prevention and treatment of insomnia is still one of the global concerns [3].…”