On Sept. 19 the American Heart Association published a scientific statement recognizing that sleep duration, mostly short sleep, and sleep disorders have emerged as being related to adverse cardiometabolic risk, including obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. The authors noted that sleep restriction has a negative impact on energy balance, and the statement suggests that treating those with sleep disorders may provide clinical benefits, particularly for blood pressure.

The authors also made the following recommendations:

  • The American Heart Association should directly address sleep behavior in a public health campaign to promote ideal cardiac health.
  • A public health campaign addressing sleep behavior should include explicit guidelines for adequate sleep and suggestions for how to include screening for sleep duration and sleep disorders in routine clinical care and public health settings.
  • Existing simple assessment tools to screen for sleep apnea risk should be better integrated into routine clinical care and public health settings.

The statement was published ahead of print in the journal Circulation. Among the co-authors are AASM members Michael Grandner, PhD; Girardin Jean-Louis, PhD; and Michael Coons, PhD, who served as the vice chair for the development of the statement.


Read the statement in Circulation – Sleep Duration and Quality: Impact on Lifestyle Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association