Restful sleep for heart health
Diet and exercise have always been the foundations of good heart health. These factors are still very important, but today’s healthcare professionals now believe that there are many other lifestyle changes that can decrease a person’s risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular health problems.
According to a study by Dr. Rohit Arora, chair of cardiology at Chicago Medical School, 6-8 hours of restful sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy heart.
Arora’s study showed that individuals who get less than 6 hours of sleep a night on a regular basis are twice as likely to suffer from heart conditions such as a heart attack or stroke. At the same time, people who get an excessive amount of sleep have increased risk of coronary artery disease and chest pain. Working on maintaining a balance of restful sleep is an essential component of optimum heart health.
Why is this?
When you are unable to achieve a full night’s rest of between 6-8 hours, the likelihood increases that your body will produce stress hormones. These hormones tend to increase the heart rate, blood glucose levels and blood pressure, which are all bad news for the condition of your heart. Lack of restful sleep also tends to lead to poor eating habits. When we’re tired, we often look for quick, pick-me-up foods that are loaded with sugar, fat and cholesterol, which are ingredients that are a recipe for poor heart health. See our section about diet for more information about eating for heart health.
What happens when you get too much sleep? People who oversleep tend to develop other unhealthy patterns such as limited amounts of physical activity. According to Arora, oversleeping also increases the risk of depression. Mood disorders and lack of physical exercise can significantly increase the risk of heart problems.
The right amount of sleep is a habit worth developing. Achieving 6 to 8 hours of restful sleep each night will lead to a domino effect of positive health benefits including improved heart health.