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Insomnia symptoms not linked to high LDL, triglycerides
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In a new study, symptoms of insomnia, including difficulty falling asleep, prolonged nocturnal awakening and undesired early morning awakening, were not associated with dyslipidemia. However, individuals taking sleeping pills to treat insomnia had an increased risk for elevated LDL cholesterol.
Previous studies have linked sleep apnea and CVD, but results of studies that evaluated the relationship between insomnia and cholesterol have been conflicting, Nicholas Vozoris, MD, respirologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said in a press release.
The population-based, cross-sectional study used interviews and laboratory data from participants of the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to further examine the association between insomnia and dyslipidemia.
Only participants older than 20 years were included in the forced-entry multiple logistic regression analysis. Data on LDL, triglycerides and HDL were obtained for 4,635, 4,757 and 9,798 survey participants, respectively. Of the eligible survey participants, 10.7% had elevated LDL, 16.3% had high triglycerides and 22.1% had low HDL, according to the researchers.
Dyslipidemia was defined as LDL of 160 mg/dL or higher, triglycerides of 200 mg/dL or higher and HDL of less than 40 mg/dL.
The results suggested no link between symptoms of insomnia at least five times in the past month and elevated levels of cholesterol, even after adjustment for sex, insomnia symptom subtype, insomnia symptom frequency, diagnosis of dyslipidemia and lipid-lowering medication.
However, those who took sleeping pills for their insomnia had a 118% higher risk for elevated LDL (adjusted OR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.14-4.15) compared with those who took sleeping pills but did not have insomnia.
In unadjusted analyses, associations were observed with high triglyceride level (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.48), but after adjustment for covariates, the association was no longer significant (OR = 1.07; 95% CI, .83-1.38). For women, however, symptoms of insomnia that occurred within 16 to 30 times in the past month were linked to elevated triglyceride levels, even after adjustment for daytime fatigue and sleepiness (OR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.19-3.3). An initial link was also found between insomnia symptoms and low HDL in women, but after adjusting for confounders, it was no longer significant (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 0.94-1.67).
Vozoris called for more research to explore the finding that those with insomnia who take sleeping pills have elevated levels of LDL. He said in the press release that the effects of specific classes or brands of sleeping pills should be investigated.
“The observed link between sleeping pill use and elevated LDL cholesterol is particularly concerning given the dramatic rise in the use of sedative medicine in the general population in recent years,” he said.
Vozoris said participants taking sleeping pills might have more severe insomnia, which could be the cause of high LDL and not the sleeping pills themselves. However, he did not observe more frequent insomnia or insomnia symptoms in combination with daytime fatigue or shorter sleep duration, all markers of severe insomnia, in these participants. – by Tracey Romero
D isclosure: Vozoris reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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