Millions of Americans complain of sleepless nights now and then, but what if it becomes ongoing and even chronic? Not getting enough sleep can lead to bigger problems than being drowsy at work.

According to a new study, those who are middle-aged and have hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease or have had a stroke could be at an elevated level of risk for cancer or heart attack if they do not get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep a night. This is according to the American Heart Association’s Journal.

Those who are constantly sleep deprived and have a history of heart disease or stroke had three times the risk of dying from cancer. This from a study that was ongoing for over 30 years.

According to the lead author of the study, Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, an associate professor at Penn State College of Medicine and sleep psychologist at Penn State Milton S. Hershey center,

“Our study suggests that achieving normal sleep may be protective for some people with these health conditions and risks”. He went on to say that “More research is necessary to determine if increasing sleep through medical or behavioral therapies could reduce the risk of early death.”

The study encompassed over 1,600 adults categorized into two groups. Group1 had stage 2 hypertension or Type 2 diabetes. Group 2 was made up of those with heart disease or who had already suffered a stroke.

Identifying sleep issues could lead to a decrease in early deaths. This is a vital study for the health of the American people.

The Study:

Participants were monitored in a sleep lab for one single night between the years of 1991 and 1998. These participants were tracked by researchers for the duration of their lives and their cause of death was noted right up to the end of 2016. During that time frame, 512 people died —  one-fourth from cancer and one-third from heart disease or stroke.

Early identification of sleep issues and resulting corrections could very well save lives and increase the overall quality of life as well.

If you are not getting enough sleep on an ongoing basis, please do not ignore it. This is a detrimental medical factor for our health as human beings. Tampa Cardiovascular Associates would love to help you heal and put your personal medical health puzzle back together again so you can live and enjoy life.

Give us a call at 813-975-2800 today and schedule your screening and consultation. Visit us on the web to learn more about www.tampacardio.com.