The relationship between sleep duration and arterial stiffness: A meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Vascular Physiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality globally.
• Sleep duration is increasingly recognized as a critical factor influencing cardiovascular health.
• Arterial stiffness, a key indicator of subclinical CVD, is modulated by various lifestyle factors, including sleep.

Approach:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of eleven cross-sectional studies.
• Inclusion of 100,050 participants to assess the association between sleep duration and arterial stiffness (measured by pulse wave velocity, PWV).
• Pooled analysis using random effects models to determine weighted mean differences (WMD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) for effect size.

Key Points:

• Both chronically short sleep (<7 hours) and long sleep (>9 hours) durations were significantly associated with increased PWV compared to recommended sleep durations (7-9 hours).
• Short sleep duration showed a WMD of 20.6 cm/s (95% CI: 13.8-27.4), and long sleep duration showed a WMD of 33.6 cm/s (95% CI: 20.0-47.2).
• Subgroup analyses revealed significant associations between short sleep and higher PWV in adults with cardiometabolic disease, and long sleep and higher PWV in older adults.

Conclusions:

• Non-recommended sleep durations, both short and long, are associated with heightened arterial stiffness.
• These findings suggest that both insufficient and excessive sleep may contribute to subclinical cardiovascular disease.
• Optimizing sleep duration within the recommended range is crucial for maintaining vascular health and potentially reducing CVD risk.