Sleeping less than 6 hours may double death risk for metabolic syndrome patients, says study

Sleeping less than 6 hours a day by people having metabolic syndrome which is a combination obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, may double their risk of death, according to researchers. 

A new study has revealed that people suffering from metabolic syndrome who had a sleep of 6 hours or more, had 1.49 times more chance of dying from stroke.

On the other hand, researchers found that people with metabolic syndrome who slept less than 6 hours had 2.1 more times more chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

For those who slept more, the chances of death were more reduced, as the researchers said. 

Those sleeping less and having metabolic syndrome had a 1.99 times more chances of dying from any other cause compared to those not suffering from metabolic syndrome. 

“If you have several heart disease risk factors, taking care of your sleep and consulting with a clinician if you have insufficient sleep is important if you want to lower your risk of death from heart disease or stroke,” said lead author Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

For the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study participants comprised 1,344 adults (average age 49 years, 42 per cent male) who all gave their consent to spend one night in a sleep laboratory. 

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The results revealed that 39.2 per cent of the participants were inflicted with at least three of the dangerous risk factors — body mass index (BMI) higher than 30 and increased total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and triglyceride levels. 
While an average follow-up period of 16.6 years, 22 per cent of the participants died. 

“Future clinical trials are needed to determine whether lengthening sleep, in combination with lowering blood pressure and glucose, improves the prognosis of people with the metabolic syndrome,” Fernandez-Mendoza said.