Association between sleep duration and electrocardiographic ischemic changes in middle-aged population: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program

BACKGROUND: Recent studies examining the association between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease (CVD) showed inconsistent results. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between self-reported night sleep duration and ischemic changes in electrocardiography (ECG).METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study on ۳۵۱۳ participants from Iranian middle-aged population as a part of Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP), Isfahan, Iran. Sleep duration was obtained by questioning participants. The frequency of electrocardiographic ischemic changes was calculated using ECG Minnesota coding system.RESULTS: Short sleep duration was associated with increased frequency of electrocardiographic ischemic changes. In a fully adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) for short sleep duration less than ۵ hours per night was ۱.۵۰۱ [۹۵% confidence interval (CI) for OR: ۱.۰۸۵-۲.۰۷۶] compared to ۸ hours of sleep. After stratifying the study population into sex groups, the association remained significant only in women. The OR for short sleep less than ۵ hours per night was ۱.۵۶۵ (۹۵% CI for OR: ۱.۰۵۲-۲.۳۲۹) and ۱.۴۵۵ (۹۵% CI for OR: ۰.۸۳۳-۲.۵۳۹) in women and men, respectively. There was no association between long sleep duration and electrocardiographic ischemic changes in men and women.CONCLUSION: We concluded that there is a positive association between short sleep duration and frequency of electrocardiographic ischemic changes in middle-aged women. This association suggests that short sleep duration may increase the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women, and this need to be evaluated in further studies.

Keywords:

Myocardial Ischemia , Electrocardiography , Sleep Deprivation