Sleep Disorders and Cardiac Consequences

between obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension. 2. Discuss the cardiac consequences of sleep apnea, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, and dif-ferent dysrhythmias. 3. Understand that sleep disorders beyond obstructive sleep apnea, such as insufficient sleep itself, may have an impact on the cardiovascu-lar system. 4. Appreciate the potential benefits of identifying and treating sleep disorders for our health. Background Primary care clinicians, cardiolo-gists, and sleep clinicians are increasingly aware of the associa-tion between sleep disordered breathing and a number of different cardiovascular disorders. The Sleep Heart Health Study and other investigations are systematically trying to determine type and extent of relationships. Much of the data linking sleep and the cardiovascular system have focused on obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS), which receives relatively greater attention here. However, we will also explore putative associations between other sleep disorders and the cardiovas-cular system and, in fact, the possi-ble impact of reduced sleep dura-tion itself on the cardiovascular sys-tem. Space limitations prevent an exhaustive review of sleep disor-ders and the cardiovascular system