Insomnia and the Risk of Incident Heart Failure: A Population Study

Patients suffering from Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) typically exhibit symptoms that include shortness of breath, poor exercise tolerance, fluid retention (swelling from the feet up the legs), and the inability to lie or sleep without several pillows (also knows as orthopnea). CHF patients are usually managed with medications, specialist visits, expert nursing protocols, and devices such as defibrillators. This article reports insomnia as being a prominent symptom among patients with CHF, where up to 73% of patients with heart failure actually report difficulty with sleeping or feeling rested. Further, the study demonstrates that when insomnia is identified and addressed in CHF patients, their heart failure may be prevented from worsening.