In 2025, the AHA updated its cardiovascular prevention framework including sleep duration in the Life's Essential 8 — the eight fundamental cardiometabolic health indicators. Not monitoring sleep is now like not monitoring blood pressure.
What the Life's Essential 8 are
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The AHA's Life's Essential 8: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body weight, cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure. Sleep entered because the literature considers it an independent, modifiable cardiometabolic risk factor.
Macro detail of a wearable ring and a smartwatch recording sleep phases in low light; night-blue tones, soft reflections; no faces.
What connects poor sleep to the heart
Poor sleep is associated with coronary artery disease, stroke, elevated blood pressure, high lipids, systemic inflammation, glucose intolerance, obesity and cardiovascular mortality.
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The mechanism is biologically direct, mediated by cortisol, inflammation and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.
Chronic insomnia: specific numbers
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Chronic insomnia is associated with a 28% increase in coronary heart disease risk and a 55% increase in stroke risk. This transforms insomnia treatment from a neurological problem into a cardiological priority.
Klinik Sankt Moritz and AHA-compliant monitoring
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Klinik Sankt Moritz now offers the first complete cardiovascular screening service including biological sleep monitoring via wearable, integrated in the Digital Twin. Your risk profile is aligned with AHA 2025 international standards.
Bedroom of an Engadine chalet just before dawn: cold bluish light from the window, pale linen sheets, a smart ring and watch resting on the nightstand; no faces.
AHA Scientific Statement — Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (2025) — https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000139 · www.ahajournals.org
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