Association between Sleep Disturbances and Cardiovascular Diseases: Results from NHANES

Abstract

Objectives: The relationship between sleep disturbances and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not well established. This study assesses the association between sleep disturbances and CVD, and the effect of sleep duration on the relationship between sleep disturbances and CVD among adults in the United States (US). Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Setting: NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). Participants: A total of 5660 adults were included from the 2015-2016 cycle of the NHANES survey. Measurements: The main outcome was the presence of any CVD and included self-reported angina, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, hypertension and myocardial infarction. Associations between sleep disturbances and sleep duration with CVD were analyzed using logistic regression. Stratified models by sleep duration were used to assess effect modification. Results: We included 5660 participants (52.2% males), 32.7% of the participants reported having a disturbed sleep and 38% reported a CVD. Compared to those who did not report any sleep disturbances, those with sleep disturbance had 85% higher odds of CVD (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.43 - 2.39). Similarly, there were 40% higher odds of CVD (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.95) among those with shorter sleep duration compared with those that slept for 6 to 9hours. However, there was no evidence of effect modification by sleep duration. Conclusions: Our findings show that sleep disturbance is associated with higher odds of CVD. Clinicians and other healthcare providers need to consider the consequence of sleep disturbances and implement strategies in the treatment of patients with or at high risk of CVD.