Sleep and quality of life in stable heart failure

Functional performance and mental health are significant quality of life concerns for heart failure (HF) patients. Poor sleep also appears to be common. We examined the extent to which sleep was associated with functional performance and mental health among persons who had stable systolic HF.

Sixty-one patients with stable systolic HF wore wrist actigraphs to record nocturnal sleep and daily activity for 3 days while living at home, performed 6-minute walks (6MWT), and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 questionnaire. Self-reported sleep quality and actigraph-recorded wake time and wake bout time explained 9% to 20% of the variance in the functional performance variables (daytime activity level, 6MWT, self-reported physical function), and mental health, after controlling for age, gender, comorbidity, and New York Heart Association class. Time in bed was negatively associated with functional performance. There were no statistically significant relationships between sleep duration and functional performance.

Self-reported sleep quality and sleep continuity (sleep that is undisturbed by nocturnal awakenings) are associated with functional performance and mental health in stable systolic HF patients. Effective treatment of sleep problems may contribute to improvement in quality of life.