MORE ON IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SLEEP, ESPECIALLY IN THE YOUNG.

I am not sure why, but I always have this notion that if we do not rest well, our body does not get re-charged for the next day. Sleep to me seems very important and I thank God that I sleep rather well, with a bit of snore too, I am told.
Anyway, the March 7th issue of the European Heart Journal again carried a study on sleep. This is an observational study by the Norwegian, on young Norwegians, who were part of the Nord Trendelag Health Study. The study was led by Dr Lars Langsand from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. They studied 54,279 subjects who were apparently healthy with no previous records of heart failure or coronary artery disease. They began enrollment from 1995-1997 and followed them till 2008. During this more than 10 years of followup, 1,412 patients developed heart failure. The researchers found that those who are unable to initiate sleep and also unable to maintain sleep, had a 2-5x increase incidence of heart failure. Those who only had trouble initiating sleep had a 27-66% increase incidence of heart failure.
Meaning that those who were unable to rest well nightly, after 10 years or so, had a high chance of developing heart failure.
Of course, the important question is why?
We obviously need more work in this area. Maybe it is the hyperadrenagic state associated with sleepless nights?  Maybe it is the higher incidence of hypertension in this cohort? We are not sure.
However, we now begin to understand the importance of sleep a bit better.
The importance of sleep cannot be over emphasized.
Sleep well and stay healthy.