How your bedtime could up your risk of heart attacks and strokes – even if you get ‘golden eight hours’
The ‘golden’ eight hours of sleep a night is something we frequently hear about.
However, according to a recent study, irregular sleeping patterns may still increase your risk of heart attack and stroke even if you meet your goal.
Lack of sleep raises the likelihood of fatal incidents like heart attacks, which is why sleep is such a crucial aspect of health.
Experts reviewed data for almost 72,200 participants in the UK Biobank project, ages 40 to 79, none of whom had a history of significant heart-related events, such as a heart attack.
To record their sleep, they donned an activity tracker for seven days.
Every individual received a Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score that recorded irregular sleep patterns, including daily variations in bedtime, wake-up time, sleep duration, and nighttime awakenings.
An irregular sleeper received a score of less than 71.6. The scores ranged from 0 (extremely irregular) to 100 (completely normal sleep-wake cycle).
Researchers examined the number of people who experienced heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure throughout the course of the eight-year follow-up period.
According to a study that was published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, those who don’t follow normal sleep habits are more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.
This was after accounting for variables that can affect the outcomes, like coffee consumption and exercise levels, and regardless of whether people are generally receiving adequate sleep, the study showed.
Compared to people who slept regularly, those who slept irregularly had a 26% higher chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, and those who slept irregularly were 8% more likely.
In general, people between the ages of 18 and 64 should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night, while people 65 and beyond should get seven to eight hours.
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Our findings imply that sleep regularity may be more important than adequate sleep time in regulating the risk of severe adverse cardiovascular events, according to the researchers, which included researchers from the University of Ottawa.
Although the precise mechanism by which sleep helps the heart is unknown, evidence indicates that disturbed sleep is linked to elevated levels of a protein called CRP, according to Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.
This is an indication of inflammation, a condition associated with circulatory and cardiac disorders.
By influencing our lifestyle choices, sleep might potentially indirectly affect heart health.
According to studies, getting too little sleep may alter the hormones that control our appetite and heighten our craving for sugary foods.
This may eventually result in weight gain and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Although more research is required to confirm this finding, preliminary findings point to a significant relationship between sleep and heart and circulation health.
According to her, researchers at the University of Birmingham who are supported by the BHF are looking into how sleep issues or insomnia may contribute to atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition that raises the risk of stroke.
According to a different study, men who are at a higher risk of cardiovascular illness may develop cognitive impairment ten years before women do. This study was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
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Compared to similarly affected women, who are most vulnerable from their mid-60s to mid-70s, males with cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as obesity, experience diminishing brain health from their mid-50s to mid-70s.
The results support recent studies that found an increased risk of dementia is associated with illnesses like type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking.
How to reduce your risk of heart attacks and stroke
Many of the same techniques can be used to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Although they impact separate body parts, heart attacks and strokes are both classified as cardiovascular events.
Both result from comparable underlying diseases, like atherosclerosis, which is an accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries.
The American Heart Association states that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity are all risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
Therefore, the risk of both illnesses might be decreased at the same time by addressing these risk factors.
The two can be avoided in the following ways:
A nutritious diet
- More fruit and veg: The DASH, which emphasises fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.
- Less fats: Too much saturated and trans fats can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Go for healthier fats like those found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados.
- Limit salt: High salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for both heart attack and stroke. The NHS recommends no more than 6g of salt per day for adults.
- Fibre: Foods high in soluble fibre, such as oats and beans, can help lower cholesterol levels.
Work out
Do what you enjoy, whether it’s swimming, cycling, jogging, or walking!
Exercise that is aerobic in nature helps increase circulation and strengthen the heart.
The NHS recommends 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise or at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.
Exercises involving strength training can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and assist control weight. The NHS advises doing it twice a week.
Control your blood pressure
Exercise and a nutritious diet can help control blood pressure.
At least after the age of 40, when the NHS welcomes adults for a check-up every five years, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on it yourself.
The risk of heart attack and stroke is greatly increased by high blood pressure, which frequently shows no symptoms.
Give up smoking.
Using NHS Smokefree’s services is one of the greatest methods to stop smoking. Support groups, drugs, and other free smoking cessation aids, like vape pens, can be just what you need to break the habit permanently.
Limit alcohol consumption
Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and cause weight gain, all of which can worsen and endanger heart health.
Drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week is not advised by the NHS.
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