A study of almost half a million people in China found that those who reported trouble getting to sleep, waking too early or not being able to function properly in the daytime had a small increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke over 10 years, compared to those without sleep problems.
The higher risk for those suffering with sleep problems ranged from roughly 10 percent for people reporting either one sleeping problem including difficulty falling or staying asleep, early rising, or not being able to function during the day, to 18 percent for those suffering with all three symptoms.
The researchers said: “Our study is the first large-scale cohort study that identified positive dose-response relationships [the more symptoms, the higher the risk] between the number of insomnia symptoms and risks of [cardiovascular disease].”
They continued: “Early detection and intervention [to treat insomnia] targeted at individual insomnia symptoms may have the potential to reduce subsequent CVD risks, especially among young adults and adults who have not developed hypertension [high blood pressure]”.