Washington: A new American study has revealed that disrupted sleep patterns in heart failure patients may double their risk of experiencing serious health relapses over a period of as little as six months, even after taking into account other sleep disturbances and co-morbidities.
The research team from Oregon State University explained that improving sleep schedules may be a simple and effective way to improve recovery and survival, urging patients to pay attention to going to bed and waking up at consistent times each day.
According to Science Daily, the researchers found that irregular sleep increases the likelihood of complications such as hospitalization, emergency department visits, and even death.
Lead researcher Brooke Schaefer said that adhering to a consistent sleep and wake-up routine not only improves overall health but can also have a significant impact on people with heart failure.
After following 32 patients with heart failure at a university hospital, the team concluded that regular sleep could be a low-cost therapeutic approach that mitigates complications.
Schafer added that variability in sleep times may disrupt the mechanisms responsible for regulating the cardiovascular system, exacerbating health risks in this group of patients.
