Getting enough sleep is essential for everyone, but it is particularly important for people who are prone to heart disease and diabetes. People like these should get at least six hours of sleep every night, failure to which they may increase their risk of premature death.

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Studies were conducted on people who had elevated cholesterol and a few other risk factors for heart diseases and diabetes apart from high body mass index. Among these, those who got below six hours of sleep every night doubled their chances of succumbing to heart disease.  This was twice the number of those who had no metabolic syndrome.

People who suffered from the metabolic syndrome but had at least six hours of sleep every night were also at a higher risk of succumbing to the condition than those who did not suffer from metabolic syndrome. However, the risks were not as high as among the people who could not get the desired amount of rest.

Corrective Actions 

If you who have the risk factors for heart disease, you should have plenty of sleep. Therefore, you should consult a physician if they want to lower your risk of death from stroke and heart diseases.

During the study, the researchers invited the participants to sleep in a laboratory for a night and observed them establish how long they slept. They also conducted studies to understand whether any of the participants suffered from metabolic syndrome before beginning the study.

Metabolic syndrome is defined as a combination of BMI that is higher than 30, elevated levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides. Among the 1344 participants, about 39.2% were had metabolic syndrome.

Thereafter, the researchers followed the people for the period of 17 years and observed that nearly 22% of them succumbed according to their findings. The findings were published on May 24, 2017, in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The studies clearly indicate that people who have metabolic syndrome should take corrective actions after consulting their physician and obtaining the required remedies.

Sleep Is Essential; It Cannot Be Ignored

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Researchers also learned that people with metabolic syndrome and did not get the right amount of sleep every night during the onset of the study were 2.1 times more susceptible to succumb to heart disease or stroke than the people without this condition.

Such people were also susceptible to succumbing from any condition that was evaluated during the study as compared to the people who had more than six hours of sleep. Moreover,  people who suffered from the syndrome but managed more than six hours of sleep reduced their chances of dying from any cause to 1.3 times compared to their non-sleeping counterparts.

Conclusion

The study shows a link between inadequate sleep and mortality among the people with metabolic syndrome. However, there is no evidence to suggest that a causal relationship exists between the two. There is a need for additional research to understand the link. Under the circumstances, it would be natural to advise people who could be suffering from metabolic syndrome to follow their physicians’ advice. They should also make all necessary efforts to ensure they get adequate sleep. That way, they may reduce the chances of premature death.