Comparison of Sleep Disorder in Myocardial Infarction Patients with Their Healthy Relatives

Introduction & Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common causes of mortality and sleep disturbances are common in today society. The purpose of the present study is to determine relationship between wide spectrum of sleep disorders including dyssomnias and parasomnias and occurrence of myocardial infarction. Materials & Methods: This is a prospective case control study which was performed on 65 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 65 cases of their healthy relatives. Data were collected by Epworth sleepiness scale and analyzed with SPSS software and using chi square, t-test and variance analysis. Results: For dyssomnias, frequency of early awakening in the morning, sleep duration at night, difficulty in falling asleep, sleep disruption and restless leg syndrome in case group were significantly higher than control group. For parasomnias, frequency of sleep paralysis, nightmare and sleep walking in case group were significantly higher than control group. Conclusion: Sleep disorders are more frequent among patients with myocardial infraction and can be considered as a risk factor for this disorder