Insomnia is Associated with an Increased Carotid‐Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Healthy Young Adults during Awake Hours

Abstract

Current literature indicates that those living with insomnia have an increased risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous studies have investigated cardiovascular measures such as baroreflex sensitivity (cvBRS), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and serum lipid levels in those with insomnia, however these studies focus on older adults and do not investigate early cardiovascular changes occurring in a young population. The purpose of this study was to examine differences across multiple cardiovascular measures that may be associated with insomnia in a young, healthy adult population. This cross‐sectional analysis of the midpoint sample of the Niagara Longitudinal Heart Study used data from 156 participants aged 19–25 years. Insomnia was classified using the SLEEP‐50 questionnaire and was compared across measures of BP, HR, cvBRS, and carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). HR and BP were measured using an automatic oscillometric device, cvBRS was measured using a beat‐by‐beat systolic BP and RR intervals, and cfPWV was measured using a hand‐held tonometer which measured pressure waveforms. Significantly higher cfPWV was found in those with insomnia (M=6.00± 0.89) versus those without (M=5.57 ±0.88) (p=0.013). There were no significant differences between those with and without insomnia for BP, HR or cvBRS (p>0.05), however, a non‐significant trend in HR was found between those with insomnia (M=79.93± 11.92) and those without (M=75.91± 11.18) (p=0.058). Literature suggests that insomnia may lead to CVD through mechanisms including changes in autonomic activity, systemic inflammation, and hormonal dysregulation. Previous insomnia studies have not investigated cfPWV, therefore these findings suggest that arterial stiffness may be an early indicator of CVD risk in those with insomnia. These results are especially novel since they are being detected in a young, otherwise healthy population suggesting that CVD risk may begin to develop early in those suffering with insomnia. The identification of these differences at a young age suggests that significant cardiovascular change occurs earlier than previously expected in those living with insomnia, thus prompting early intervention to help reduce the physiological burden of this sleeping disorder.Support or Funding InformationFunding source: The NLHS is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR #s 363774, 399332). KSD is funded by a CIHR Doctoral Research Award – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship (RFN#167014)