Sleep and Heart Health... Medical Warning for Women Over 45

SadaNews - Sleep is no longer just a state of mental and physical rest; it is now regarded as a crucial factor in preventing heart diseases, especially among women over the age of 45, according to a recent study published in the journal "Menopause."

According to the "World Health Organization," the study, led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Baylor University, revealed that sleep disorders in middle-aged women, particularly those with high blood pressure or smokers, are associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Comprehensive Assessment of Heart Health

The study was based on a scale developed by the "American Heart Association" known as "Life's Essential 8 (LE8)," which includes: sleep quality, diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, body mass index, blood pressure, sugar levels, and blood fats.

According to the evaluation results, only one in five women in the transition to menopause received an ideal score on this scale, with sleep quality, along with blood pressure, blood sugar, and smoking, emerging as critical factors in predicting future risks of heart disease.

Critical Stage... Golden Opportunity

Commenting on the results, Dr. Samar Al-Khudri, an epidemiology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said: "We knew that perimenopause is a stage in which women experience increased heart risks. What this study confirms is that this stage also represents a valuable opportunity for early intervention and improving heart health."

The study included about 3,000 women from diverse ethnic backgrounds as part of a long-term research project known as the "Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)," which began in 1996, where researchers monitored the health changes of participants as they aged and assessed the effects of various health factors on the heart.

Better Sleep... Longer Life

Follow-up results showed that sleep, despite having no direct correlation with arterial changes in the short term, was strongly associated with the likelihood of heart disease or death from any cause in the long term.

Zi-Yuan Wang, the lead researcher in the study, stated: "Good sleep, estimated at 7 to 9 hours daily, may be a key factor in promoting heart health and longevity, but we need further clinical studies to confirm this relationship."

Call for Early Intervention

Dr. Samar Al-Khudri warned at the end of her talk that heart diseases still rank as the leading causes of death among women, making it necessary to work on improving lifestyle and treating risk factors early, especially in the post-menopausal phase.