Does insomnia affect outcomes after a heart attack?

This paper studied the effect of insomnia in patients after a sudden heart attack. It concluded that patients who had insomnia were more at risk of death from all causes 2 years after a heart attack than patients who did not have insomnia. 

Sleep is a time when the body recovers and rejuvenates. Impaired sleep can affect the body’s immune system and metabolism. Impaired sleep can increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. It has been suggested that impaired sleep may also affect the outcome after a heart attack. 

732 patients who had a heart attack were studied. They were followed for an average of 6 years. They were asked if they had difficulty falling asleep. Patients who had difficulty falling asleep were classified as having insomnia.

23.9% of patients had insomnia. Compared to the group of patients who did not have insomnia, the group who had insomnia was less physically active, had greater occurrence of heart failure and previous heart attacks.

31.6% the participants died over the 6 years. Of these, 44% were participants who had insomnia and 27.6% were participants who did not have insomnia.

Within the first 2 years after a sudden heart attack, patients with insomnia did not have a higher risk of death from all causes than patients who did not have insomnia. After the first 2 years, patients who had insomnia were 1.6 times more at risk of death from all causes compared to patients who did not have insomnia. 

The authors concluded that patients with insomnia have a higher risk of death in the long term after a sudden heart attack. 

Participants were classified as having insomnia based on a questionnaire. Further studies using more objective measures of insomnia are needed to confirm these findings.

Discuss methods for controlling insomnia with your doctor.