Taiwanese Star Blackie Chen Says Years Of Sleeping Just 3 To 4 Hours A Night May Have Led To Heart Attack

Taiwanese star Blackie Chen, who suffered a heart attack on Sep 15, has opened up about his "brush with death" and the habit that may have contributed to it: barely sleeping.

The 49-year-old was transferred from the intensive care unit to a general ward on Thursday (Sep 17), and took to Instagram that day to recount the frightening ordeal.

Blackie was at a basketball court when he suddenly felt his chest become tight and heavy.

"It felt like a huge rock was pressing down on [my chest]. I couldn't catch my breath, and my back hurt terribly," he recalled, adding that he initially thought he was simply exhausted.

 He went to the emergency department at Chung Shan Hospital, where an ECG quickly raised alarm bells.

"When the emergency room nurses saw the ECG results, I could feel the entire atmosphere in the ER change," he said.

Blackie was immediately transferred by ambulance to National Taiwan University Hospital, where doctors performed a cardiac catheterisation procedure and inserted a stent.

From arriving at the hospital to completing the procedure took around 90 minutes.

His doctor told him he had suffered an acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, and that one of his blood vessels had been completely blocked.

Blackie's heart attack came as a shock as the star doesn't smoke or drink and works out regularly.

But there was one unhealthy habit he couldn't kick: not getting enough sleep.

Since founding Taiwanese professional basketball league P. League+ (PLG) in 2020, Blackie said he had been sleeping very little while juggling work and family.

Sometimes, he would get just three to four hours of sleep, replying to messages at 2am before getting up at 6am to prepare to send his 11-year-old twin sons, River and Ryan, to school.

"I thought I was made of iron and could handle it," he admitted.

Blackie said his doctor told him his chronic lack of sleep "could have been the most important contributing factor" to his heart attack.

"Long-term sleep deprivation is more damaging to your heart than you might think," he wrote, adding that it can raise blood pressure, cause inflammation in blood vessels and disrupt the autonomic nervous system.

"Even if you don't smoke or drink, your heart can still be overworked."

Blackie thanked his wife, singer Christine Fan, 50, as well as his family and friends for being by his side.

"At my most vulnerable, you held my hand tightly, helped me overcome my fear and gave me more courage to face this life-threatening ordeal," he wrote.

Following his close call, Blackie urged others not to ignore their bodies when they are exhausted.

"Being tired is your body crying out for help. Don't wait until you're in the ICU before you listen," he wrote.

He also urged people to recognise heart attack symptoms and seek immediate medical attention for prolonged chest pain or tightness, particularly when accompanied by cold sweats, nausea or shortness of breath.

Most importantly, he said, make sleep a priority.

"From today onwards, schedule sleep into your calendar," he wrote. "Getting six to eight hours of sleep isn't being lazy. It's taking care of your heart."

Blackie also urged those above 40 to go for annual health screenings and monitor their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

"You can work hard. The basketball game can wait. But when it comes to your health, there is no overtime."

He promised to rest, sleep properly and take better care of himself.

"When I'm healthy again, I'll see you on the basketball court," he said.