Sleep deprivation is often associated with the development of medical problems, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD). Because sleep disturbances can cause deprivation and shorten sleep duration, they are often taken into account when conducting related studies. Short-term sleep deprivation not only increases blood pressure and produces stress hormones, but also leads to irregular heartbeats [1]. These major risk factors are precursors of coronary heart disease. In this essay, I will summarize the results of five studies regarding sleep deprivation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Westerlund et al. studied sleep duration and insomnia symptoms in relation to incidental cardiovascular events in 41,192 adults. Results were collected using a 36-page questionnaire from which 4,031 events ranging from heart failure to cardiovascular deaths were identified over a follow-up period of 13.2 years [2]. Although insomnia is essentially unrelated to risk, it appears that short sleep must be accompanied by sleep disturbances for cardiovascular events to occur. Evidence suggesting a modest positive association between short sleep duration and cardiovascular disease, particularly myocardial infarction, was observed in individuals with frequent insomnia symptoms (hazard ratio 1.42; CI 95% 1.15-1.76). However, the validity of sleep patterns is questioned because they were measured at baseline only and could have changed over the years. The authors also referred to a similar study by Chandola et al. who reported that people with disturbed sleep had an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease [3]. I chose this study because it has a large cohort, which eliminates sampling bias. High quality data could be obtained from this longitudinal epidemiological investigation...... middle of article...... CVD. Additionally, the objective methods for obtaining the required data were carefully planned and the results were clearly presented. Based on the above 5 studies, a modest finding is observed between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease. The results of this study are of clinical importance because they suggest the likely use of sleep duration as an additional risk marker for the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, regardless of ethnicity. Although the implication of short sleep duration on cardiovascular disease is consistent across various populations, it still differs by gender, age group, and race. Future research, using the current studies as a framework, is needed to further prove the complex mechanisms underlying the causal relationship between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease. Health authorities should also continually promote the importance of adequate sleep, as it is vital for better physical health and cognitive functioning..