Bidirectional relationship between Sleep Disturbance and Atrial Fibrillation: a SPRINT-based analysis

The study examined the relationship between sleep disturbance and atrial fibrillation (AF) in adults with high blood pressure. The research included 7,232 participants without AF at baseline and 6,079 participants without significant sleep disturbance. During a median follow-up of 3.3 years, 189 cases of AF occurred. Results showed that clinically significant sleep disturbance was associated with a 78 percent higher risk of developing AF. Each one-point increase in sleep score was associated with a 26 percent higher risk of AF. In the reciprocal direction, AF was associated with a 59 percent higher risk of developing clinically significant sleep disturbance. Associations in both directions were consistent across different patient subgroups. The study confirms a bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbance and atrial fibrillation.