Food and exercise may come to mind when considering ways to improve heart health. Sleep is equally important, even though many people view it as a luxury rather than a necessity.
Maintaining your sleep health is crucial for your general well-being, much as we stress the need to eat a low-fat diet to lower cholesterol and preserve heart health.
A sign of heart health is getting a full seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Although the precise mechanism by which sleep affects the coronary arteries is still being investigated, we do know that having insufficient sleep is linked to heart disease risk factors.
People who experience typical sleeping problems like obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia are also far more likely than the general population to experience heart arrhythmias, plaque buildup, heart failure, and coronary artery disease.
Sleep apnea occurs when your airway frequently becomes clogged while you're sleeping, causing you to briefly cease breathing. Some medical conditions, such as obesity and heart disease, might contribute to sleep apnea.
Insomnia is used to describe problems getting to sleep, remaining asleep, or both. Adults may develop short-term insomnia up to 1 in 2 times and long-term insomnia up to 1 in 10 times. 8 Heart disease and excessive blood pressure are connected to insomnia. Insufficient sleep over time can also result in bad habits that are bad for your heart, such as higher stress levels, less drive to exercise, and unhealthy eating choices.
There is growing evidence that neurological sleep problems, including restless leg syndrome, may raise the risk of heart disease, however, additional studies are required to fully understand the relationship.
Sleep lowers blood pressure in the majority of people. However, those who have Type 1 narcolepsy don't always experience that. There has to be more research in this area, however, some people think that this may raise the chance of cardiac issues.
These suggestions and other aspects of good sleep hygiene can lay the groundwork for better sleep by forming routines that make it simpler to acquire the necessary amount and quality of sleep.
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