Research

Hormonal

Higher percentages of REM and deep sleep are associated with a reduced incidence of atrial fibrillation, while higher light sleep percentages are associated with increased odds of atrial fibrillation.

Prioritize sleep quality that promotes REM and deep sleep. While total duration is important, the composition of your sleep matters for heart health. Consistent sleep schedules and avoiding alcohol before bed may help increase deep and REM sleep, thereby reducing atrial fibrillation risk.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
When examining Fitbit-derived sleep stages, each percent increase in REM sleep was associated with a reduced incidence of heart rhythm and rate abnormalities, including atrial fibrillation (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.82–0.91)... Higher deep sleep percentage (per percent) was also associated with lower odds of atrial fibrillation (0.87; 0.81–0.93)... Higher light sleep percentage (per percent) was associated with increased odds of atrial fibrillation (1.13; 1.09–1.17)...
Neil S. Zheng et al. · Nature Medicine · 2024

Why this rating

Large longitudinal study with objective wearable data; sensitivity analyses controlled for sleep apnea.

Source

Sleep patterns and risk of chronic disease as measured by long-term monitoring with commercial wearable devices in the All of Us Research Program

Neil S. Zheng et al. · Nature Medicine · 2024

DOI 10.1038/s41591-024-03155-8

cohort · n=6785Cited 167×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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