Sep 01 2026
Two Days, One Message: Why Sleep and Heart Health Can’t Be Treated Separately

On September 22, the world marks World Narcolepsy Day, honoring millions of people living with a chronic, often misunderstood neurological disorder. One week later, on September 29, the world marks World Heart Day to raise global awareness about cardiovascular disease, prevention methods and the overall importance of heart health.  

For most people, these are two separate observances about two separate parts of the body. For the Narcolepsy community, they’re closely connected.

A Metabolic Picture

We all know Narcolepsy affects sleep and wakefulness but research also shows it may be associated with metabolic disorders — conditions that affect energy, weight and blood sugar. A review of past research, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, found that people with Narcolepsy are more likely than people without it to experience obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels. These conditions can raise the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

This also impacts young people. Studies of individuals aged 25 years and younger  with Narcolepsy Type 1 have found they tend to have higher body weight and more abdominal fat than their peers, raising concerns about heart health risks that can start well before adulthood.

The Nervous System Connection

What drives this connection? The answer is likely multifactorial, and several features of Narcolepsy itself may contribute to cardiovascular risk. Excessive daytime sleepiness has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and disrupted nighttime sleep may also contribute to alterations in normal nighttime blood pressure regulation.

In addition, Narcolepsy can disrupt the part of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates your heart rate, blood pressure and blood vessel function. Normally, blood pressure decreases during sleep. However, a review of these effects in Narcolepsy Type 1 found critical warning signs: blood pressure that doesn’t drop at night the way it should, reduced variation in heartbeat timing and problems regulating blood flow to the brain. Together, these suggest the nervous system is working overtime to keep the heart and blood vessels steady. Earlier research published in Frontiers in Neurology found that people with untreated Narcolepsy show signs of this imbalance, especially when they’re awake, suggesting it may be tied to the condition itself, not just its symptoms.

People with Narcolepsy also appear to face a higher risk of heart problems overall. One study, led by Dr. Younghoon Kwon, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found high blood pressure in 44% of adults with Narcolepsy, compared with 31% of adults without it. A separate study led by Dr. Christopher Kaufmann, also published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at kids and adults with Narcolepsy and found early warning signs of heart problems, even in children. People with Narcolepsy were more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than people without it, regardless of age group, including the youngest age groups studied. Building on that work, a second study by the same research group, led by Munaza Riaz and published in the journal SLEEP, looked at more serious outcomes and found that people with Narcolepsy were nearly twice as likely to have a major cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke, compared with people who don’t have Narcolepsy. That held true regardless of whether people were being treated with stimulant medications.

Taken together, this research led a group of sleep medicine and cardiology experts to write a formal set of recommendations, known as the CV Consensus Panel manuscript. Essentially, it is a guidance document for doctors as it pulls together everything researchers currently know about the link between Narcolepsy and heart-related risks, and lays out clear recommendations for how doctors should watch for and manage those risks as part of routine Narcolepsy care.

Correlation or Causation?

Researchers are now debating whether Narcolepsy and heart disease are merely correlated or whether Narcolepsy actually causes it. A 2024 study used a method called Mendelian randomization, which uses naturally occurring genetic differences to test whether one condition truly causes another, rather than the two simply appearing together by coincidence. Research detailed in the journal  Sleep Medicine uncovered data indicating that  Narcolepsy can directly heighten the likelihood of developing various heart-related issues, such as heart failure and coronary artery disease.

A Shared Vulnerability, A Shared Responsibility

This further emphasizes that sleep health and heart health are equally important.

“When we talk about what it means to live well with Narcolepsy, we can’t end the conversation with tips for managing daytime sleepiness or cataplexy. Heart health is part of how we define comprehensive care,” said Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, DBSM, Director of the Sleep & Health Research Program, Professor within the Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine. “At least a third of people with Narcolepsy don’t experience the normal nighttime drop in blood pressure, and that might add up to a real cardiovascular strain over time.”

What You Can Do

Start paying attention now before symptoms appear.

• Ask for a full check-up.
  In addition to tracking your blood pressure, ask your doctor about a cholesterol test, blood sugar test and weight tracking.
• Loop in your whole care team.
  A neurologist or sleep specialist manages your Narcolepsy, but a primary care provider or cardiologist should track your heart health too.
• Mention symptoms beyond sleep.
  Lightheadedness or dizziness when standing, unusual heart rate changes or trouble regulating body temperature may be connected, even if they seem unrelated to sleep.
• Let one day remind you of the other.
  World Narcolepsy Day and World Heart Day fall a week apart. Use one as a nudge to think about the other.
• Lean on the community.
  Wake Up Narcolepsy’s weekly support groups offer space to talk through heart and metabolic health with people who understand the challenges and can share how they manage both Narcolepsy and co-occurring concerns such as heart health.  

Understand the Full Picture

These two days, one week apart, tell a connected story about long-term, whole health. Getting the rest your body needs and protecting your heart should not be separate goals — especially for the Narcolepsy community.

This blog is part of the Hearts & Rest campaign by Wake Up Narcolepsy, in partnership with WomenHeart.org. Their essential guide, The Impact of Sleep on Heart Health, is a resource worth reading in full.

This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your lifestyle, medication or treatment plan.