Sleep characteristics that predict atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Background: The relationship between sleep disruption, independent of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether poor sleep itself is a risk factor for AF. Methods: We first performed an analysis of participants in the Health eHeart Study and validated those findings in the longitudinal Cardiovascular Health Study, including a subset of patients undergoing polysomnography. To determine whether the observed relationships readily translated to medical practice, we examined 2005–2009 data from the California Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Results: Among 4553 Health eHeart participants, the 526 with AF exhibited more frequent nighttime awakening (odd ratio [OR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.89; P =.003). In 5703 Cardiovascular Health Study participants followed for a median 11.6 years, frequent nighttime awakening predicted a 33% greater risk of AF (hazard ratio [HR] 1.33; 95% CI 1.17–1.51; P