Disrupted sleep is linked to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, and poor sleep can worsen diabetes, obesity, and depression. Making small changes to ensure healthier sleep can significantly improve your health and longevity, including lowering your risk of heart failure by 42%.
Healthy Sleep Habits Cut Risk of Heart Failure Nearly in Half
These new findings add to increasing research that links sleep habits with heart health. A healthy sleep pattern for most people means approximately 7 to 9 hours of sleep, no snoring, little to no insomnia, early rising, and little to no daytime sleepiness.
U.S. scientists analyzed data from 408,802 UK Biobank participants ages 37 to 73. Those with the healthiest sleep pattern had 42% lower risk of heart failure overall. Heart failure risks decreased in early risers by 8 %, seven- to eight-hour sleepers by 12%, infrequent insomniacs by 17%, and infrequent nappers by 34%.
In another meta-analysis of 474,684 patients, sleeping fewer than six hours or more than eight hours was tied to higher risk of developing or dying from coronary heart disease and stroke. Those who slept longer than eight hours also had higher total cardiovascular disease risks.
A Swiss study showed that napping once or twice a week helped reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 48%, although the benefits decreased with frequent naps. Meta-analysis of 313,651 participants reported that people who took naps longer than one hour had a 30% higher risk of all-cause death and 34% higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease compared to those who took no naps.
In one study of 935 diabetic women published in Diabetes Care, long and short sleeping, as well as snoring, were biomarkers of cardiovascular disease.
Benefits of Good Sleep
A restful sleep can be an elusive goal for some people. But studies show that healthy sleep is restorative and necessary for your body’s functional processes.
Maintaining healthy sleep habits, especially in young adulthood and middle age, promotes better cognitive functioning, and helps defend against age-related cognitive decline. More scientists now accept that good sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise for promoting good health.
The Impact of Poor Sleep
Sleep disturbances are linked with metabolic, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Sleep apnea, insomnia, dementia, and restless leg syndrome often disrupt sleep. Poor sleep exacerbates obesity, diabetes, inflammation, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.
In another study of 8,992 people between the ages of 32 and 86 years, scientists found that sleeping five or fewer hours was linked to higher risks with diabetes and that obesity and high blood pressure both acted as mediators of this association.
In a study of 1,666 men and 2,329 women 20 years or older, women with both short—less than five hours—and long sleep—eight or more hours—had worse lipid profiles. However, only the men who were long sleepers had a cholesterol imbalance. More than an hour of daytime napping was linked to a higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with non-nappers in a review of seven studies involving 98,163 participants in China.
Sleep also impacts your job, life, and health. In a study of 11,698 workers, those experiencing sleep disturbances had lower work performance ratings, more absenteeism, and higher health care expenses. Lack of sleep impairs learning, heightens negative emotions, and decreases memory and attention.
Six Tips for Healthier Sleep
1. Relaxation/Meditation
A review of 37 treatment studies based on treating insomnia with psychological and behavioral therapies found relaxation produced improvements in sleep quality ratings as well as 20- to 30-minute improvements in self-reported sleep onset, wake time after sleep onset, and total sleep time. Another study found mindfulness meditation effectively reduced insomnia.
2. Eliminate Blue Light
In a study of 22 participants, exposure to blue light smartphone devices two hours before bedtime significantly decreased sleepiness and performance. Blue light exposure increased the time to reach melatonin onset by 50%, which negatively affected overall sleep quality. Smartphone exposure may cause heart rate variability, headaches, and sleep disorders.
3. Acupressure
In a study of 36 participants, those using acupressure experienced better sleep quality scores by 26%. Both sleep quality and quality of life improved with acupressure in a study involving 62 nursing home residents. In a meta-analysis, acupressure significantly enhanced sleep quality.
4. Aromatherapy
In a meta-analysis of 12 studies, aromatherapy improved sleep quality. Lavender oil helped with sleep quality and insomnia. Lavender aromatherapy increased sleep quality and quality of life in a study of 57 sleep-deprived, menopausal women. In a trial of 15 healthy students in Japan, lavender produced more alertness upon awakening compared to no lavender.
Three groups of 120 cancer patients received peppermint, lavender, or a placebo. The group that used the essential oils experienced higher sleep quality scores than the group on the placebo. Chamomile treatment significantly improved sleep quality and general anxiety disorders.
5. Melatonin
Taking melatonin lowered the time to fall asleep and increased total sleep time in an analysis of 205 patients. It may be used for sleep disorders resulting from thyroid problems, depression, arthritis, asthma, or stroke. Meta-analysis of five trials of 91 adults and four trials of 226 children showed that melatonin treatment improved the body’s ability to regulate the sleep-wake rhythms and decreased time to fall asleep.
6. Yoga/Exercise
In a meta-analysis of nineteen studies of 1,832 participants, researchers found that yoga significantly improved sleep overall. In a study of 413 non-exercises or non-meditators, exercise significantly improved sleep quality, while meditation decreased daytime sleepiness. In 43 adults ages 56 to 73 with moderate sleep complaints, moderate exercise increased quality of sleep scores.
Sleep Well
Sleep quality is essential for your health and natural treatments aromatherapy, meditation, melatonin, acupressure, and limiting exposure to blue light before bedtime can help. Make healthy sleep habits a top priority along with good nutrition and exercise.
REFERENCES
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