[Exhausted awakening as a risk factor for coronary heart disease]

In a prospective study of 3877 males, aged 39-65, the predictive power of complaints indicating problems falling or staying asleep and of the feeling of waking up exhausted was investigated. It was hypothesized that especially those who wake up exhausted but do not complain about problems falling or staying asleep are at increased risk of myocardial infarction. After controlling for age, blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol and the use of anti-hypertensive drugs, the relative risk was found to be 2.74 (95% confidence interval 1.28-5.83) for a years follow-up and 6.50 for the first year of follow-up. These findings indicate that waking up exhausted belongs to the short-term risk indicators of myocardial infarction.