Regular Sleep Key To Better Outcomes For Heart Failure Patients, Study Finds

Improving the regularity of sleep may significantly reduce the risk of adverse health events in people recovering from heart failure, according to a new study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

The study, published in the journal JACC Advances, reveals that even moderately irregular sleep doubles the risk of experiencing another clinical event within six months after hospital discharge. Such events include emergency room visits, rehospitalisation, or death.

“Going to bed and waking up at consistent times is important for overall health,” said Dr. Brooke Shafer, lead author and research assistant professor at the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory, OHSU School of Nursing. “Our findings suggest that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is especially critical for adults living with heart failure.”

The research enrolled 32 patients hospitalised for acutely decompensated heart failure at OHSU Hospital and Hillsboro Medical Center between September 2022 and October 2023. For a week following discharge, participants recorded their sleep and nap times in diaries. Based on these records, they were classified as regular or moderately irregular sleepers.

Over the subsequent six months, 21 participants experienced a clinical event. Among these, 13 were moderately irregular sleepers, while eight maintained a regular sleep schedule. Statistically, the risk of such events was more than twice as high for those with irregular sleep patterns.

Importantly, the increased risk persisted even after accounting for potential confounding factors such as existing sleep disorders and other medical conditions. The study is among the first to specifically examine the impact of sleep regularity in heart failure patients, adding to the growing evidence on the health benefits of a stable sleep routine.

The authors note that “improving sleep regularity may be a low-cost therapeutic approach to reduce adverse events in adults with heart failure.”

Dr. Shafer explained that the findings reinforce the link between sleep patterns and cardiovascular health. “During sleep and rest, blood pressure and heart rate decrease from daytime levels. Variability in sleep timing may disrupt cardiovascular regulation mechanisms, contributing to worse outcomes, especially in those already affected by heart failure.”

She added that future research will involve larger participant groups to evaluate whether interventions aimed at regularising sleep can lower the risk of subsequent clinical events.

Co-authors of the study include D. Shirin Hiatt, Sophia Kogan, Nathan Dieckmann, Christopher Chien, Quin Denfeld, and Andrew McHill of OHSU, and Christopher Lee of Boston College.