We can’t emphasise it enough that the heart is a major organ of our body. The organ which is working without any break in a person’s life and is pumping the blood to all the parts of the body continuously, however needs some suitable environment for its healthy survival.
There are many factors that can affect heart health. From smoking to poor dietary habits, there are a bunch of factors that can influence heart health in a good or a bad way.
Sleep is just one of those many factors which can affect heart health. Sleep and heart health are interlinked with each other.
In this blog we will discuss the reasons as to why a healthy sleep is necessary for a healthy heart.
Table of Contents
Reasons Why Sleep And Heart Health are Linked
1. Adequate sleep and High Blood Pressure.
There are studies that show that adequate sleep is often linked with high blood pressure and a faster heart beat rate. To put it more technically, during sleep your body gets in a relaxed state. This means that the blood supply to the body can be easily controlled or limited.
In the exact same way, the blood pressure of the body drips down which is termed as nocturnal dipping blood pressure.
With that being said, if you don’t get adequate sleep this means that you will be resisting the body’s normal and natural process. The blood pressure will remain high for a longer duration of time.
So by not getting an adequate amount of sleep you can expect that the blood pressure will soar high not only during night time but also during day time.
This issue is persistent with those individuals who are working on long hours and they are up during night time. More frequently this issue is also linked with middle aged individuals. Quality of sleep is also essential in maintaining overall health. To get yourself updated about the quality of sleep, read more about how to sleep less and have more energy.
2. Sleep and Plaques Within Arteries
Not getting enough sleep time can lead to many grave consequences that may include the buildup of plaques within the arteries.
Plaques are the deposition of fatty contents and cholesterols. They can occur anywhere in the body but if they occur in the blood vessels carrying blood to the heart, it is a dreadful and a fatal condition. The term is called coronary heart disease.
Thus sleep and heart health are strongly interlinked with each other.
According to the National Library of Medicine, coronary heart disease is the principal cause of deaths in America.
3. Sleep and Increased Risks of Heart Attacks
Sleep is no doubt essential for maintaining overall normal health but it is more crucial for maintaining heart health. Not getting a night sleep of at least 6 hours can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks.
Heart attack or myocardial infarction can be caused when the tissues of the heart don’t get enough oxygen supply. Sleep deprivation can increase the chances of heart attacks by 20%, according to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine.
The above mentioned ailments are directly linked with sleep deprivation. There are many other factors that can be caused by not getting adequate amounts of sleep and they will ultimately lead to heart diseases. The other factors that can be caused due to insufficient sleep duration are as follows:
4. Sleep and Obesity
Sleeping is the crucial period for your body when the body prepares itself for dealing with the after effects of the grinding daily routine.
Sleeping is the time when the body is releasing a set of hormones to keep the body in balance.
This is the time when the body is working on many different fronts and is releasing different hormones. These hormones may include those as well that are linked with the body metabolism and body sugar levels. Not sleeping on proper time or not sleeping for proper duration of hours will lead to overeating and will ultimately lead to obesity.
Obesity will then lead to many heart health issues. One of them is the increased risk of hypertension and heart attacks.
Side note: KNOW about different sleeping positions and how they affect your heart health.
5. Sleep and Diabetes
Sleep is also linked with causing diabetes. The individuals who are unable to maintain a balance in their sleep durations and those who don’t take sleep for at least 6 hours a day are at the verge of developing diabetes type 2.
In this condition the body is not able to maintain the blood glucose levels within normal range. There are many cases where inadequate sleep is linked with pre diabetes.
Once you get diabetes then it is going to be a downhill ride where the organs of your body will be affected and the organ that has to suffer a lot is none other than the heart. Diabetes can increase the chances of high blood pressure and heart attacks.
Tips to Fall Asleep Fast:
There are many tips and tricks that can be adopted in order to fall asleep fast. A few are mentioned here that will help you to get the adequate amount of sleep that will help in preventing heart diseases and will help in keeping heart health in check:
Set Curfew for Screen Time
Screen use should be avoided in bed as it can mimic the action of sunlight and will keep you awake. Despite your efforts, you will not be able to fall asleep. So it is essential to set a curfew for smartphone usage before going to bed.
Maintain a Schedule
This schedule will help you to fall asleep with little or no effort. Our body is a complex system which operates on a very periodic schedule. Sleeping and waking up at the same time for a few days will help to catch sleep with much ease. This will then help with the duration and quality of sleep as well which will affect the heart health for good.
RELATED: There are many simple ways that can help you to sleep fast. Find out the best ways to make your life easy.
FAQ: Can lack of sleep make your heart beat faster?
The answer to this frequently asked question is YES.
If you are sleeping then your body’s blood pressure is lowered. On the same line, your heart rate is also lowered. So if you are not getting sleep then this will make your heart beat faster.
This will then express itself as irregular heartbeat and can lead to heart palpitations. So lack of sleep can make your heart beat faster.
It has also been observed that sleeping problems and lack of sleep can make your heart beat faster and irregularly.
What’s The Takeaway?
Sleep and heart health are linked with each other. To put in simple words, if you have sleeping problems it can lead to heart problems and if you have heart problems then this will lead to sleeping problems. Sleep can affect the heart rate as well that will bother with the daily routine and schedule of your life. To get the best advice on sleeping issues, contact the best physician and to get yourself updated on heart and health care issues, visit our website healthwire.pk.
