How does sleep affect your heart?

Published: 2 December 2025

Sleep isn’t always easy, but it’s important for looking after your heart and overall wellbeing. Even small improvements in your sleep can make a difference. Find out how sleep supports your heart, the impact of disrupted sleep and explore tips to improve sleep.

Why does poor sleep increase the risk of heart disease?

Sleep helps your body rest and recover and supports your emotional wellbeing and mental health.

When you sleep, your blood pressure and pulse (heart rate) lower, giving your heart a chance to rest. But when you don’t get enough sleep or go to sleep at a different time each night, your blood pressure and heart rate stay higher for longer.

Over time, this puts extra pressure on your heart and increases your risk of heart disease, including heart attack or heart failure.

Poor sleep is also linked to increased inflammation, which may also increase the risk of heart problems.

When you don’t sleep well, it’s harder to make healthy choices. You may crave sugary or fatty foods, rely more on caffeine or alcohol and find it harder to exercise or manage stress. These habits can increase your risk of heart disease.

The good news is that by taking steps to improve your sleep habits and getting enough high-quality rest, you can help protect your heart and lower your risk of heart disease.

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease or had a heart event, find out more on our page about sleep for people with a heart condition.

How do sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnoea affect my heart?

Some sleep disorders, like insomnia and sleep apnoea, are linked to heart disease.

Insomnia means having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting back to sleep after waking too early. An increasing number of studies also show the link between insomnia and the risk of heart disease.

Sleep apnoea causes breathing to stop and start briefly during sleep, often causing gasping or choking. This can happen hundreds of times a night, disrupting sleep. It causes sudden changes to your heart rate and oxygen levels, which puts extra strain on your heart.

There’s a strong link between sleep apnoea and increased risk of high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Key symptoms of sleep apnoea include:

• loud, persistent snoring;
• gasping, choking or pausing breathing during sleep (usually noticed by a bed partner);
• waking up feeling unrefreshed, groggy or with morning headaches
• excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty focusing, or unintentional naps during the day
• mood changes, irritability, and loss of interest in sex
• waking frequently during the night or having restless sleep
• dry mouth or facial congestion after waking

Getting support and treatment for these problems can improve your sleep, mood, energy and heart health. If you think you may have a sleep disorder, talk to your doctor about treatment options.

You can evaluate your sleep with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale or the Twenty Winks Sleep Questionnaire.

How much sleep is best for my heart?

Everyone needs different amounts of sleep, but most adults do best with seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep each night. This helps lower your heart rate and blood pressure overnight and reduces inflammation in your body.

Sleeping fewer than seven hours a night, or more than nine, has been linked with a higher risk of heart disease. For people who sleep longer, it’s not clear if the extra sleep itself raises the risk, or if the link is due to other health conditions.

When is the best time to sleep?

Your body has an internal clock, called your circadian rhythm. It helps guide when you feel sleep y and when you wake up. For many adults, this means feeling ready for sleep between 10pm and midnight and waking after seven to nine hours of sleep.

Keeping a regular sleep routine supports this rhythm. Going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day helps your body know what to expect. Over time, this can help make it easier to fall asleep, improve sleep quality and protect your heart.

Irregular sleep patterns, such as shift work or often staying up late, can disrupt your body clock. This makes it harder to sleep well and, over time, can increase your risk of heart problems.

Age-related changes in sleep

As we age, our sleep patterns can change. Many older adults go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. They may spend less time in deep sleep and waking in the night becomes more common. These changes are normal but can make sleep feel less restful. Keeping regular sleep habits and staying active during the day can help support better sleep as you age.

Tips that may help you sleep better

Falling asleep and staying asleep can be hard. No single approach works for everyone, but small, consistent habits may help. Here are some tips you might find helpful:

Same time, every time

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps your body settle into a regular routine, know when it’s time to sleep, and can protect your heart.

Take time to unwind

Do something relaxing before bed , like gentle stretches, deep breathing, listening to music or reading a book. This tells your body that it’s time to sleep.

Switch off to sleep

Avoid using phones, tablets, TVs and other screens for at least an hour before bed. Their light lowers melatonin levels, the hormone that helps you fall asleep.

Cool, dark and quiet

Make your bedroom cool, dark and quiet. Use comfortable bedding so you don’t get too cold or hot at night.

Be active in the day

Get some fresh air and exercise during the day. Exercise will help you fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. Even a short walk can help your body rest better at night.

Cut back to sleep more

Avoid caffeine, alcohol and big meals late in the day so your body can focus on resting.

Reboot when you can’t sleep

If you’re awake for more than 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed and try again. Repeat as needed to teach your body to fall asleep more easily over time.

Sleep medications and heart conditions

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease or had a heart event, find out more about sleep medications on our page about sleep for people with a heart condition.

Get professional support | When to see your doctor

Most people have a bad night’s sleep now and then, but if your sleep problems last for more than a few days, talk to your doctor, especially if you:

find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep most nights

• snore loudly, or have been told you do
• gasp, choke or briefly stop breathing in your sleep
• feel very tired most days, even after what should be enough sleep
• notice your sleep is affecting your mood, concentration or daily activities
• rely on sleeping pills, alcohol or other aids to help you sleep.

Your doctor can help find the cause of your sleep problems, suggest treatment options, or refer you to a sleep specialist or clinic for a sleep study.

If you have insomnia, your doctor may suggest cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This treatment focuses on building healthier sleep habits and has been proven to improve sleep long-term.

Sleep tips for people with heart conditions

Heart-healthy living