Sleep does much more than make you feel rested. It plays a big role in keeping your heart healthy. Good sleep is one of the keys to lowering your risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death around the world.
Many studies show that both sleeping too little and sleeping too much can harm your heart. The best amount of sleep for most adults is between 7 and 9 hours each night.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body can develop problems like high blood pressure, weight gain, and diabetes. All of these increase your chances of heart disease.
While you sleep, especially during the deepest stages, your blood pressure naturally drops. This gives your heart and blood vessels a chance to rest. Sleep also helps control stress hormones and keeps your nervous system balanced. These things are all very important for heart health.
On the other hand, if you don’t sleep enough, your body can make more stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones raise your heart rate and blood pressure. If this happens too often, it can damage your heart over time.
There are also sleep problems that directly affect your heart. One of them is sleep apnea. This condition causes you to stop breathing for short periods while you sleep. Your oxygen levels drop, and your blood pressure can rise suddenly. People with sleep apnea have a higher chance of having heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, heart failure, and strokes.
Another common sleep issue is insomnia. If you often have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, your blood pressure may stay high at night. Over time, this constant stress can wear out your heart and blood vessels.
Interestingly, sleep and heart health affect each other. Poor sleep can lead to heart problems, and heart disease can make it harder to sleep. For example, people with heart failure might wake up often during the night because of breathing problems, needing to go to the bathroom, or feeling chest pain.
The good news is that improving your sleep can also improve your heart health. Some helpful tips include going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, making your bedroom dark and quiet, avoiding caffeine and screens before bed, and building a relaxing bedtime routine.
If you have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, there are treatments that can help. Devices like CPAP machines or special mouthpieces can help you breathe better during the night, which reduces your heart risk.
In summary, sleep is an important but often forgotten part of taking care of your heart. Getting good sleep every night can help protect your heart and improve your health. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor. Fixing sleep problems can be a powerful way to care for your heart.
If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
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