The Chicago Journal

Insomnia linked to heart attacks in new studies

Insomnia Although sleep is an essential component of one’s day, some people struggle with falling asleep in bed at times.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling, staying, or gaining adequate sleep, and a recent study suggests that insomniacs may be at danger.

Sleep deprivation may have an influence on people’s hearts, in addition to interfering with daily functioning.

The news

Insomnia has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack in studies.

The most prevalent sleep issue, according to their research, affects 10% to 15% of all Americans.

According to the report’s findings, which were published in the journal Clinical Cardiology, the possible association between sleeplessness and heart attack is more likely to impact women.

According to Dr. Martha Gulati, chief of preventive services at Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Center, the majority of her patients are women, and sleeplessness is a risk factor for those with ischemic heart disease.

Although not being a participant in the study, Gulati shared her thoughts: “Insomnia is actually quite common.”

“We see it probably in 1 in 10 patients in the United States. It is my impression that almost everyone experiences insomnia at some point in their life.”

“The estimate is that 1 in 2 adults experience it at some point in their life, maybe in the short term because of stressful moments.”

Analysis

The analysis of the study is based on more than 11 decades of information collected from 1,184,256 people in the following countries:

  • China
  • Germany
  • Norway
  • Taiwan
  • The United States
  • The United Kingdom

The study was undertaken by researchers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United States, and it classified insomnia as a sleep disorder with three major diagnoses:

  • Difficulty falling asleep
  • Difficulty staying asleep
  • Waking up early but restlessness that makes it hard to sleep again

There were 1,030,375 people who did not suffer from insomnia and 153,881 who did.

Sleep deprivation is 1.69 times more likely to cause a heart attack, according to research.

Despite this, the number of heart attacks was quite modest, occurring in around 1.6% of individuals who had insomnia and 1.2% of those who did not.

Hours of sleep

The researchers observed a link between a higher risk of heart attack and the amount of time participants spent sleeping at night.

Individuals who slept for five hours or less were 1.56 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who slept for seven or eight hours.

Getting more sleep, however, does not ensure safety.

According to the study, those who slept for six hours or more each night had a lower risk of having a heart attack.

“A lot of studies have pointed somewhere between seven and eight hours of sleep being the magic number for us,” said Gulati.

“There is obviously variability for everyone, but too much sleep is rarely the issue.”

The study discovered that insomniacs of any age or gender had the same risk of having a heart attack.

Read also: Teenagers using social media should be older than 13

How insomnia affects the body

A lack of sleep, according to Dr. Martha Gulati, increases the risk of a heart attack in a variety of ways, with a focus on cortisol control.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that regulates how the body reacts to stress.

The higher a person’s blood pressure, the more stressed he or she is.

People’s blood pressure drops when they receive enough sleep.

“What really happens when you’re not getting enough sleep is that your cortisol gets out of whack,” Gulati explained.

“If you are having sleep problems, we know that your blood pressure is more elevated at night.”

Gulati observed that having high nighttime blood pressure might be a risk factor for heart disease induced by cortisol imbalance.

Meanwhile, the study’s authors suggested that sleep deprivation be included as a risk factor in cardiovascular disease preventive recommendations.

Dr. Hani Aiash, a cardiologist and associate dean of interprofessional research at Upstate Medical University’s College of Health Professions, is one of the study’s senior authors.

Sleep, he argues, is more useful than most people realize: “Now we have evidence that sleep is medicine. So good sleep is prevention.”

“If you don’t sleep well… below five hours or six hours, you’re exposing yourself to a higher risk of myocardial infarction. The pattern of sleep is very important.”

Aiash also feels that nine hours is too long: “Above nine hours is harmful also.”

Mitigation

After the release of the report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States recommended five methods for minimizing insomnia:

  • Keep consistent sleeping and waking hours, including on weekends.
  • Make your bedroom a relaxing, dark, and comfortable retreat.
  • Remove any electrical devices from the room (smartphones, TVs, computers)
  • To enhance your chances of getting a good night’s sleep, avoid big meals, coffee, and alcohol.
  • Keep an active lifestyle throughout the day.

If your sleeplessness persists, the CDC advises you to contact a doctor.

Image source: Vecteezy

Pfizer cleared of stroke risks, CDC and experts claim

Image source: National Council on Aging alt

Pfizer: Despite the necessity of Covid-19 booster doses and vaccinations in general, some people still opt not to get the shots due to fear of getting sick.

Seniors, in particular, are anxious about the injections’ potential side effects since many have developed a phobia of strokes.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has conducted studies to dispel such concerns.

Surveillance

The discovery prompted the implementation of a CDC surveillance system that Pfizer’s omicron Covid variant booster dose was linked to an increased risk of stroke in adults 65 and older.

In collaboration with networks across the US, the CDC’s Immunization Safety offices, and a comprehensive healthcare organization, the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) system was developed.

It monitors and evaluates the safety of vaccinations using electronic health data from affiliate facilities.

It includes information on the type administered, the vaccination date, and any other vaccines received on the same day.

The VSD also utilizes information on health problems identified during doctor visits, ER visits, urgent care visits, and hospital stays.

Statement

The CDC issued a press release on its website on Friday.

Following the availability and use of the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines, CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent.

Rapid-response investigation of the signal in the VSD raised a question of whether people 65 and older who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Vivalent were more likely to have an ischemic stroke in the 21 days following vaccination compared with days 22-42 following the vaccination.

A review of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database found that there was no increased risk of stroke as a result of the modified vaccines.

Additionally, Pfizer-BioNTech’s global safety database has not discovered any signs of stroke in connection with the updated injections.

Read also: Covid-19 surges among senior citizens or ‘senior waves’

Detection

A CDC spokesperson said the problem was first brought up in late November.

The CDC began looking into the possibility of seniors suffering a stroke 21 days after receiving the Pfizer injection when it was discovered in the middle of December, and worries persisted.

For Moderna boosters, the initial signal and results were the same.

The representative stated that 130 patients 65 and older who had the Pfizer omicron booster injection suffered strokes within 21 days.

More than 550,000 seniors who had their booster injection reported the data.

According to the CDC, no other monitoring system has so far detected any issues with the Pfizer booster.

Data

No extra stroke risk was noted when researchers examined the data from the following sources:

  • Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs
  • The Vaccine Adverse Reporting System
  • Pfizer’s global safety database

“Although the totality of the data currently suggests that it is very unlikely that the signal in VSD represents a true clinical risk, we believe it is important to share this information with the public, as we have in the past, when one of our safety monitoring systems detects a signal,” the CDC wrote.

The CDC asserts that the monitoring system picks up signals from sources unrelated to immunization.

The agency spokesperson noted that the investigations should provide a clearer view and additional facts in the upcoming weeks.

Investigation

The Food and Drug Administration will convene a panel discussion with independent immunization authorities on January 26 to tackle the issue.

Furthermore, Pfizer said in a statement made on Friday that there is no proof between the Covid vaccination and ischemic strokes.

Pfizer, BioNTech, the CDC, and the FDA have not discovered any connections between the different monitoring systems in the United States, claims company spokesperson Kit Longley.

“Compared to published incidence rates of ischemic stroke in this older population, the companies to date have observed a lower number of reported ischemic strokes following the vaccination with the omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine,” said Longley.

The omicron injection from Pfizer is still prescribed by the CDC.

Those who have finished the primary vaccine series and are five years of age or older are eligible for the booster.

Ages six months to four years old are the youngest children that can receive an omicron injection.

Reference:

CDC says it’s ‘very unlikely’ Pfizer booster carries stroke risk for seniors after launching review

CDC & FDA identify preliminary COVID-19 vaccine safety signal for persons aged 65 years and older