Heart healthSleepHeart failure

Could a heart condition be disrupting your sleep?

Too little sleep can make you cranky—and it may raise your risk for heart disease, too.

LearnHeartHeart diseaseCould a heart condition be disrupting your sleep?
Heart health and sleep go together
Heart failure
Atrial fibrillation
Angina
Proven ways to get more sleep

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We know our bodies need sleep, but have you ever considered just how important adequate sleep really is? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that most adults get between seven and nine hours each night.

Here's why: Sufficient sleep helps preserve your memory, can boost your mood, and may even aid in healthy weight loss. It can also benefit your heart.

Here’s what you should know about the link between sleep and heart health.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Preventi... + 17
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How Much Sleep Do I Need? Last reviewed September 14, 2022
  2. Harvard Health Publishing. In search of sleep. June 2020.
  3. Harvard Health Publishing. Sleep problems, heart disease often in bed together. May 2007.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High Blood Pressure: How Does Sleep Affect Your Heart Health? Last reviewed January 4, 2021.
  5. LE Laugsand, LB Strand, et al. Insomnia and the risk of incident heart failure: a population study. European Heart Journal. Volume 35, Issue 21, 1 June 2014, Pages 1382–1393.
  6. MS Lincoln, EB Loucks. Sleep Duration, Insomnia, and Coronary Heart Disease Among Postmenopausal Women in the Women's Health Initiative. Journal of Women’s Health. 2013 Jun; 22(6): 477–486.
  7. American Heart Association. What is Heart Failure? May 31, 2017.
  8. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sleep Apnea. Last updated March 24, 2022.
  9. American Heart Association. What is Atrial Fibrillation (AFib or AF)? July 31, 2016
  10. Mayo Clinic. Atrial fibrillation. October 19, 2021.
  11. E Marulanda-Londoño, & S Chaturvedi. The Interplay between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Atrial Fibrillation. Frontiers in Neurology, 8, 668. December 11, 2017.
  12. American Heart Association. Non-surgical Procedures for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib or AF). July 31, 2016.
  13. Mayo Clinic. Angina. March 30, 2022.
  14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Facts. October 14, 2022.
  15. MedlinePlus. Coronary Artery Disease. November 21, 2016.
  16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Know Your Risk for Heart Disease. Last reviewed December 9, 2019.
  17. Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep. December 18, 2007.
  18. Mayo Clinic. Atrial fibrillation. October 19, 2021.
Written by Taylor Lupo.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.August, 2024
Updated onOctober, 2026
Written by Taylor Lupo.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.August, 2024
Updated onOctober, 2026
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