Heart Attack And Stroke Are More Common In Early Morning Around The Time Of Waking
There are many studies which have shown that acute cardiac and vascular events, including sudden cardiac death, heart attack, and stroke manifest a clear surge in the early morning hours around the time of waking, so that their peak onset is between 6 AM and 11AM.
The mechanisms for this morning increase in acute cardiovascular events are not fully understood. The suggested factors are bad dreams, arousal from sleep, increased blood pressure upon waking, increased sympathetic tone, increased vasosoconstrictor sensitivity and impaired function of blood vessel linings from decreased blood levels of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is an important messenger molecule involved in many physiological and pathological processes within the body. Appropriate levels of NO production are important in protecting organs from damage due to lack of blood. Nitric oxide was proclaimed “Molecule of the Year” in 1992.
One of the precursors of nitric oxide, or one of the substances used to produce nitric oxide is L arginine. Studies have found that L-arginine may help with conditions that improve when blood vessels are relaxed (called vasodilation), such as in atherosclerostic disease of the coronary and cerebral arteries, the cause of heart attack and stroke. Preliminary clinical studies show the occurrence of early morning abnormality of the endothelium (lining of blood vessels) , with blunted flow-mediated arterial dilatation in the early hours after waking. Early data suggest that this early morning endothelial dysfunction is likely due to an increased plasma levels of L-arginine inhibitor, and reduced plasma L-arginine levels, with consequent reduced availability of NO. The early morning fall in nitric oxide levels can be potentiated by fasting and improved by a protein rich breakfast. Because the production of NO depends in part on the availability of L-arginine, it is suggested that methods to maintain an adequate level of plasma L-arginine in the early morning are needed.
Additional studies are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of arginine supplementation at night to decrease or prevent the early morning abnormality in blood vessels, especially those which supply the heart and brain, and thus prevent the incidence of early morning heart attack or stroke .
The mechanisms for this morning increase in acute cardiovascular events are not fully understood. The suggested factors are bad dreams, arousal from sleep, increased blood pressure upon waking, increased sympathetic tone, increased vasosoconstrictor sensitivity and impaired function of blood vessel linings from decreased blood levels of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is an important messenger molecule involved in many physiological and pathological processes within the body. Appropriate levels of NO production are important in protecting organs from damage due to lack of blood. Nitric oxide was proclaimed “Molecule of the Year” in 1992.
One of the precursors of nitric oxide, or one of the substances used to produce nitric oxide is L arginine. Studies have found that L-arginine may help with conditions that improve when blood vessels are relaxed (called vasodilation), such as in atherosclerostic disease of the coronary and cerebral arteries, the cause of heart attack and stroke. Preliminary clinical studies show the occurrence of early morning abnormality of the endothelium (lining of blood vessels) , with blunted flow-mediated arterial dilatation in the early hours after waking. Early data suggest that this early morning endothelial dysfunction is likely due to an increased plasma levels of L-arginine inhibitor, and reduced plasma L-arginine levels, with consequent reduced availability of NO. The early morning fall in nitric oxide levels can be potentiated by fasting and improved by a protein rich breakfast. Because the production of NO depends in part on the availability of L-arginine, it is suggested that methods to maintain an adequate level of plasma L-arginine in the early morning are needed.
Additional studies are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of arginine supplementation at night to decrease or prevent the early morning abnormality in blood vessels, especially those which supply the heart and brain, and thus prevent the incidence of early morning heart attack or stroke .
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