For several years, millions of Ukrainians have been living in a state of chronic fragmented sleep: nighttime air alerts, shelling, and the need to be ready for evacuation turn the night into a series of short bouts of wakefulness. In the morning, a person still goes to work, to school, and carries out household duties — and the body accumulates a "sleep debt" that, according to specialists, hits the cardiovascular system first of all. Candidate of Medical Sciences, cardiologist, ultrasound diagnostics specialist, and endocrinologist Nataliya Stolyar-Kapshitar, in a blitz interview with the lifestyle project Wave (RBC-Ukraine), explained in detail what happens to the heart and blood vessels with regular sleep deprivation and which measures truly help recover without harm.
The Body Perceives Sleeplessness as Chronic Stress
According to Stolyar-Kapshitar, the absence of full sleep activates in the body the same mechanisms as acute stress: cortisol levels rise, blood pressure increases, the pulse quickens, and the heart begins to work in a more strained mode. Already after one sleepless night, blood vessels relax worse and lose elasticity — this is confirmed by ultrasound diagnostics data. If such episodes are repeated systematically, as is typical for residents of areas regularly subjected to shelling, the load on the cardiovascular system becomes cumulative.
Long-Term Risks: From Hypertension to Heart Attack
The cardiologist directly confirmed the link between regular sleep deprivation and an increased risk of arterial hypertension, heart rhythm disorders, and in the long term — myocardial infarction and stroke. In addition to the heart, metabolism also suffers: insulin resistance worsens, and blood sugar and cholesterol levels change. Thus, chronic sleep deprivation acts as a multifactorial trigger, simultaneously loading the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.
Which Symptoms After a Sleepless Night Are Normal and Which Are a Cause for Concern
Fatigue, drowsiness, mild irritability, and a moderately accelerated pulse the day after an interrupted night, the doctor calls expected reactions. However, pain or pressure in the chest, pronounced shortness of breath, dizziness, a sensation of heart palpitations, and strong heartbeat — these are warning signals. In such cases, especially with existing hypertension or cardiovascular diseases, it is necessary to seek medical help in a timely manner, rather than "tough it out" until the next day.
How to Safely Restore Alertness: Sleep, Light, Movement, and Caffeine
The optimal tool for recovery after an interrupted night, the cardiologist calls a short daytime nap of 15–20 minutes. If you sleep for 30–40 minutes or longer, there is a high probability of waking up even more exhausted due to awakening in the deep sleep phase; if you can spare more time, it is better to aim for about 1.5 hours — this is approximately a full sleep cycle. Additionally helpful are daylight, 20–30 minutes of moderate physical activity (a walk, light stretching), and washing with cool water. Caffeine is permissible in moderate doses: for a healthy adult, the guideline is no more than 400 mg per day (approximately 3–4 cups of coffee depending on strength), and after a sleepless night it is better to limit yourself to one or two cups at a time, since the cardiovascular system is already working under additional load.
Why Energy Drinks Are a Bad Idea After a Sleepless Night
Stolyar-Kapshitar strongly does not recommend using energy drinks as a "life raft." They contain high doses of caffeine, sugar, and other stimulating components that, combined with sleep deprivation, can intensify tachycardia, provoke arrhythmia, or sharp spikes in blood pressure. The combination of an energy drink with physical exertion is especially dangerous: both stimulants and sport simultaneously increase the load on the heart, and sleep deprivation adds another stress factor to this. The doctor emphasizes: coffee and energy drinks only mask fatigue but do not eliminate the consequences of sleep deprivation and do not replace full sleep.
Practical Recommendations for Those Who Regularly Sleep Less Because of Alerts
If the night was interrupted by an alert, the cardiologist advises finding an opportunity for a short nap (15–20 minutes) during the day, spending as much time as possible in daylight in the morning, and incorporating 20–30 minutes of moderate activity into the routine. Sleep should not be systematically replaced with coffee or energy drinks. If sleep problems due to nighttime alerts have become regular, and fatigue, rapid heartbeat, or elevated blood pressure repeat night after night, it is necessary to see a doctor and undergo an examination of the cardiovascular system. As Stolyar-Kapshitar notes, these methods help temporarily increase performance but do not eliminate the need for full sleep — and the task of society and the state, in essence, is to give people the opportunity to sleep peacefully.
