About this Research Topic
The collective term “sleep disorders” includes a wide range of conditions that affect sleep quality, timing, or duration and significantly impact a person’s ability to properly function while awake. Experimental and clinical studies suggested that the most common forms of sleep disorders in the adult population such as sleep apneas, chronic insomnia with short sleep duration, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) are also associated with hypertension and higher cardiovascular risk. These conditions might activate multiple pathological mechanisms affecting the physiological blood pressure (BP) decrease relative to wakefulness occurring during sleep and leading to diminished or loss nocturnal dipping of BP, which is a strong, independent predictor of cardiovascular risk.
Ambulatory BP studies indicate that even small increases in BP, particularly nighttime BP levels, are associated with significant increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, sleep-related disorders that induce increases in BP would be anticipated to substantially affect cardiovascular risk. The underlying mechanisms (e.g., triggering of the sympathetic nervous system, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and other hormonal systems) have been demonstrated, especially for the sleep breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but for others, common forms of sleep disorders data are still largely to scant.
Furthermore, whether the efficacy of specific treatments (i.e., positive airway pressure) for OSA has been proved to reduce BP levels as well as cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the information on insomnia and RLS treatments and their effects on BP are still lacking.
This article collection will try to highlight current understanding and progress about the relationship between sleep disorders, systemic arterial hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and arrhythmias.
Original Research Articles and Reviews designed but not restricted to the following areas are encouraged:
1) Hypertension and cardiovascular events in patients affected by sleep-related disorders, including OSA, central sleep apnoea, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias, narcolepsy, RLS.
2) Role of the altered autonomic nervous system, endothelial function, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and any other possible mechanisms in the pathogenesis of hypertension and cardiovascular complications in sleep disorders.
3) Biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in cardiovascular diseases related to sleep disorders.
4) Effect of insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
5) Effect of RLS treatment on reducing BP values and cardiovascular risk.
Ambulatory BP studies indicate that even small increases in BP, particularly nighttime BP levels, are associated with significant increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, sleep-related disorders that induce increases in BP would be anticipated to substantially affect cardiovascular risk. The underlying mechanisms (e.g., triggering of the sympathetic nervous system, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and other hormonal systems) have been demonstrated, especially for the sleep breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but for others, common forms of sleep disorders data are still largely to scant.
Furthermore, whether the efficacy of specific treatments (i.e., positive airway pressure) for OSA has been proved to reduce BP levels as well as cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the information on insomnia and RLS treatments and their effects on BP are still lacking.
This article collection will try to highlight current understanding and progress about the relationship between sleep disorders, systemic arterial hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and arrhythmias.
Original Research Articles and Reviews designed but not restricted to the following areas are encouraged:
1) Hypertension and cardiovascular events in patients affected by sleep-related disorders, including OSA, central sleep apnoea, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias, narcolepsy, RLS.
2) Role of the altered autonomic nervous system, endothelial function, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and any other possible mechanisms in the pathogenesis of hypertension and cardiovascular complications in sleep disorders.
3) Biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in cardiovascular diseases related to sleep disorders.
4) Effect of insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
5) Effect of RLS treatment on reducing BP values and cardiovascular risk.
Keywords: sleep related disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, arterial hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension
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