Fatigue
Atherosclerosis, like other cardiac-related diseases, doesn’t typically have noticeable symptoms until the disease is full-blown. People also don’t give much weight to the early onset symptoms of such ailments because most believe it’s an everyday, passing occurrence. Fatigue is one such symptom that people tend to overlook.
Fatigue is the feeling of constant physical or mental tiredness or weakness that extends beyond normal levels. Health experts also categorize fatigue into circadian, cumulative, or transient. Transient fatigue results from extreme sleep restriction or being awake for one or two days straight. Cumulative fatigue, meanwhile, results from repeated mild sleep restriction over a couple of days. Meanwhile, circadian fatigue results in reduced performance during nighttime. Experts say that sleep debt or one hour less sleep per day will also result in fatigue.
Doctors also note that atherosclerosis may have a huge impact on sleep quality. They believe that blood pressure is interrelated to sleep quality. As atherosclerosis affects the arteries, it can cause an elevated blood pressure level, making it quite discomforting for people to sleep soundly. Furthermore, lack of sleep can also result in reduced attention and reaction time and impaired memory coupled with a withdrawn mood or unexpected mood swings.
