Sleep is not only a comforting and refreshing experience, it is critical to our overall health.
During sleep, our minds and bodies not only rest, they repair themselves and perform essential bodily functions.
Lack of sleep can do more than leave us feeling a little foggy and tired. It can have a significant impact on our cardiovascular health.
How Sleep Affects Your Heart Health
The amount of sleep and the quality of sleep you receive has a number of effects on your heart health.
In general, sleep allows the heart to rest, repair, and regulate blood pressure.
Poor sleep, however, can stress the body by raising blood pressure, increasing inflammation, and disrupting blood sugar control. Each of these impacts can be problematic for heart health.
During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages, breathing stabilizes, blood pressure decreases, and heart rate slows. This reduces stress on the heart and allows it to better recover from the strain it experiences when we are awake.
If we are not sleeping deeply enough to hit these critical sleep stages, this recovery cannot fully take place.
Sleep and Blood Pressure
When your body is getting normal, healthy sleep, blood pressure can drop by 10-20%. This is known as nocturnal dipping.
Lack of nocturnal dipping has been linked to risk of heart attack and stroke, especially in already hypertensive individuals.
Failure to sleep at least six hours a night can increase daytime blood pressure, especially in middle aged individuals, those that work long hours in high-stress jobs, and those at risk for high blood pressure.
Sleep and Obesity
Sleep helps to regulate hormones, including the hormones that control hunger. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone, helping you feel hungry, increasing food intake and fat storage. Leptin, often called the satiety hormone, helps your body regulate energy usage, body weight, and hunger.
Lack of sleep can decrease circulating leptin and increase ghrelin. This can increase the desire to eat more, and eat high calorie foods, increasing the risk of obesity.
And with obesity comes an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Sleep and Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease happens when plaque builds up and hardens in the arteries, causing them to become more narrow, limiting the heart’s ability to get enough oxygen and blood.
Poor sleep is also linked to chronic inflammation. Inflammation triggers the body’s immune system which begins producing white blood cells to combat the inflammation. These white blood cells become trapped in the arteries and contribute to the progression of plaque buildup and hardening of the arteries.
Blood pressure, obesity, and coronary heart disease are not the only ways that sleep can impact your heart health, but they show how impactful lack of rest can be.
The Link Between Sleep Disorders and Heart Health
Some common sleep disorders have been found to increase heart attack risk and wreak havoc on heart health. These disorders include:
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apna is a condition where breathing stops and starts while an individual is asleep. These interruptions in breathing can lower blood oxygen levels and place additional stress on the heart.
Sleep apnea has been linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, increasing the risk of heart failure.
Obstructive sleep apnea, where the throat muscles relax and block airflow to the lungs, has been connected to higher rates of high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary artery disease.
Insomnia and Short Sleep Duration
Insomnia and sleep deprivation can increase your risk for heart conditions like coronary heart disease.
One study found that individuals with insomnia have a 45% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Insomnia may increase cortisol, the stress hormone. This changes your body’s stress response which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and other conditions like diabetes, anxiety, and depression.
Any condition that disrupts your sleep pattern can disrupt the normal heart rhythms, disrupt hormone regulation, and impede the body’s recovery processes.
Studies have found that individuals sleeping less than 6 hours a night are at an increased risk compared to those sleeping 7-9 hours a night. For example, while more research is needed, it is possible that the sleep fragmentation and disruption, periodic limb movement, and increased blood pressure associated with restless leg syndrome may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Signs You May Have a Sleep Problem That Affects Your Heart
There are several signs and symptoms that can indicate you are experiencing sleep disturbances.
Signs of sleep disturbances include:
- Loud snoring or gasping for air during sleep
- Feeling tired upon waking despite a full night’s sleep
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Daytime fatigue, irritability, or difficulty concentrating
If you experience any of the above signs, speak to your doctor so you can identify and rule out possible causes that could negatively impact your health as a whole.
How to Improve Sleep for Better Heart Health
There are some steps you can take to potentially improve your sleep quality, find more restful sleep, and support heart health.
Prioritize Sleep Hygiene
For a restful sleep, it is important to create the right sleep routine and environment.
Tidy up your sleep hygiene by:
- Creating a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
- Limit screen time and stimulating activities before bed. It is best to turn off your screens an hour or two before bedtime. This reduces your exposure to stimulating blue light and helps signal to your body that you are ready to sleep.
- Create a good sleep environment. Your bedroom should be a dark, quiet, cool place to rest. It may take some experimentation to find the right window coverings, bedding, and room temperature for optimal sleep. Limit the use of the bed to sleeping and intimate activities only.
Proper sleep hygiene helps your body better adapt to the natural circadian rhythms, allowing it to wind down and rest when you need it to.
Address Sleep Disorders Promptly
If you think you might have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or chronic insomnia, you should speak to your doctor and set up a medical evaluation.
Consider consulting with a sleep specialist to learn more about sleep hygiene for heart health and things you can do to improve the duration and quality of your sleep.
Incorporate Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Making lifestyle changes to improve heart health is never a bad idea! Here are a few things you can do to keep your heart healthy and strong:
- Exercise regularly. Moving your body is essential for heart health. Your workouts do not have to be strenuous. However, don’t exercise too close to bedtime as your body will be amped up when you want it to be winding down.
- Eat a balanced diet that minimizes sugars and processed foods. Focus on whole foods, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, proteins, and fiber. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
- Manage stress. Adopt stress management techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga or Tai Chi.
How Naples Concierge Health Supports Heart Health
At Naples Concierge Health, we work with you to address any concerns related to sleep and cardiovascular risk.
We provide personalized and comprehensive care to support you at all phases of your heath journey.
With our extensive referral network, we can ensure you receive the proper sleep disorder evaluations and receive access to cardiologists and cardiac care professionals to realign your care plan towards improved cardiovascular health.
Our proactive care can address the root causes of your issues instead of simply treating the symptoms.
If you have already experienced a cardiac emergency, we can support you through the immediate health crisis and the recovery, helping you establish a healthier future.
We take the time to listen and get to know you, creating a healthcare plan that truly takes your lifestyle, your needs, and your goals into account.
Protect Your Heart with Better Sleep
Maintaining heart health requires a combination of diet, exercise, and quality sleep.
By ensuring you receive adequate rest, you can lay the foundation for a hearth healthy future.
If you are experiencing signs of sleep disturbances or want to discuss your heart health, Naples Concierge Health is the perfect co-pilot for navigating the journey.
Contact us today to learn more about our service offerings and what we can do to help you take control of your sleep habits and your health!
