So is the lack of sleep a key cause of heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes and cancer?

GaleHawkins

independent.co.uk/news/sleep-deprivation-epidemic-health-effects-tired-heart-disease-stroke-dementia-cancer-a7964156.html

bpetrosky

Have you not been getting enough sleep? That may explain some things.

Heather4448

I guess I'm screwed then.

jemhh

For whatever, reason, people like to downplay the importance of sleep or boast about how little they get and can thrive on, but lack of sleep is a serious health issue. I would say that it tends to be a symptom of other issues as much as it is a cause of them. I had serious sleep apnea due in large part to my weight and it led to (obviously) exhaustion, resulting in me being mentally foggy and just not having the energy to do much more than the basics of life. Once I addressed the sleep issue, I was able to move on to working on my weight and general fitness, which all helped the brain fog.

HermanLily

I sure hope not, or I'm screwed

CSARdiver

I would imagine this is a strong factor.

Sleep deprivation is one of the primary factors of misdiagnosis in the US.

Need2Exerc1se

Would that then mean that getting plenty of sleep is protective? I sure hope so.

jgnatca

Bad gums can contribute to heart disease.

http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/02/the-surprising-link-between-periodontal-disease-and-heart-health-what-dental-professionals-need-to-know.html

Keep your dentist appointments!

jgnatca

People with obstructive sleep apnea can get treatment with a CPAP machine. Studies of these patients can show improvements on some important health markers, like high blood pressure.

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1788459

I saw another study that showed that CPAP had NO effect on cholesterol levels.

crackpotbaby

jgnatca wrote: »

Bad gums can contribute to heart disease.

http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/02/the-surprising-link-between-periodontal-disease-and-heart-health-what-dental-professionals-need-to-know.html

Keep your dentist appointments!

This is actually a pretty well established link that all dentists and doctors know about.

For example, in order to have any heart valve surgeries (except in emergency) a person must first have dental clearance.

Similarly, many cases of endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart) is often caused by dental abscesses.

sardelsa

Yea my toddler is (literally) killing me..

MsChewMe

sardelsa wrote: »

Yea my toddler is (literally) killing me..

Alatariel75

lizery wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

Bad gums can contribute to heart disease.

http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/02/the-surprising-link-between-periodontal-disease-and-heart-health-what-dental-professionals-need-to-know.html

Keep your dentist appointments!

This is actually a pretty well established link that all dentists and doctors know about.

For example, in order to have any heart valve surgeries (except in emergency) a person must first have dental clearance.

Similarly, many cases of endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart) is often caused by dental abscesses.

It's also good for people to know that poor dental health can have an extremely negative effect on pets, so get their teeth checked regularly, because it can affect them much faster than humans.

Cherimoose

GaleHawkins wrote: »

So is the lack of sleep a key cause of heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes and cancer?

Probably not a key cause. The article merely says it's been "linked" to them, which is a slippery term. Remember, correlation doesn't imply causation.

Unknown

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SezxyStef

sleep is under rated for sure.

and the quality of that sleep needs to be taken into account as well.

For example According to my fitbit I got 7 hours Saturday night...but only 8mins of deep sleep...it was a hard day Sunday. Then Monday Night I got the same amount of sleep but I was woken up 5x but got 57min of deep sleep...I was so tired yesterday at work I thought I was gonna pass out...

thepragmattic

I think a lot people underestimate how important sleep is for recovery. And as a person with sleep apnea, I didn't know what actual sleep was until I started using a CPAP. Sleep apnea absolutely raises your risk for cardiac/stroke problems. Want to feel better? First 2 things to look at is your diet and sleep.