Risk of heart disease rises when women have difficulty sleeping

Women who experience sleep difficulties are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than men, writes Peta Bee

Depressed woman awake in the night, she is touching her forehead and suffering from insomnia

SO much is at stake with a poor night’s sleep. Stress and fatigue worsen, we become anxious and tetchy, tired and more prone to stress.

But for women, there is the added concern that when sleep is fitful or disturbed their risk of heart disease might rise. Cardiologists from the Columbia University Medical Centre say that poor sleep is associated with higher cardiovascular risk for women than for men.