Is Sleep Related to Heart Health?

A Woman Sleeping With Icons Showing A Heart, Calendar And An Alarm To Signify Heart Health.

of cardiovascular disease. Let’s take a closer look at how sleep affects heart health, how you can improve your sleep, and how a preventative medical scan of your heart can benefit you.

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How Does Sleep Affect Heart Health?

Your body performs several essential tasks while you’re sleeping. In addition to fixing damaged cells and muscles and clearing out waste, lack of sleep affects cardiovascular health because it causes conditions that jeopardize heart health. For example, lack of sleep affects your hormone levels, which can cause weight gain. Obesity increases the risks of several severe health issues, including the following:

Heart attacks
Heart disease
Stroke

Obesity also increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which significantly increases the likelihood of developing heart disease. The impact sleep has on your heart health is significant because there are multiple issues you can develop that contribute to severe heart health issues.

Can Poor Sleep Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease?

Poor sleep impacts everything from brain functions to your immune system and the ability to regulate your insulin levels. It also increases your risk of heart disease. Several health issues stemming from lack of sleep are risk factors for heart disease. For example, lack of sleep can cause inflammation, which causes plaque buildup in your arteries, causing clogged arteries and coronary heart disease. Clogged arteries also increase the risks of heart attack and strokes.

How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Blood Pressure?

Your blood pressure rises when you don’t get enough sleep. Hypertension increases your risks of the following severe health issues:

Aortic aneurysms
Heart attacks
Heart disease
Heart failure
Kidney disease
Peripheral arterial disease
Strokes
Vascular dementia

Many health risks stemming from hypertension are potentially life-threatening, including heart attacks, heart disease, and strokes.

How Many Hours Of Sleep Are Optimal For Heart Health?

Medical experts recommend at least seven hours of sleep each night, with nine hours being the maximum needed. However, it isn’t just the amount of time you spend sleeping that matters; the quality of your sleep significantly impacts your heart health. Your body should spend between a fifth and a quarter of its time sleeping in REM sleep, the deepest state of sleep.

Sleep disorders, medications, and beverages can prevent you from reaching REM sleep. If this is a recurring issue, the consequences can be severe because lack of REM sleep increases the risks of cardiovascular disease.

Can Improving Sleep Quality Lower The Risk Of Heart Disease?

Improving the amount and quality of your sleep can help you maintain a healthy heart and reduce the chances of developing conditions that increase your risk of heart disease. Improving sleep quality impacts your heart health in the following ways:

Improving your sleep quality enables you to maintain healthy hormone levels, reducing the risks of obesity and related health issues, such as diabetes.
Getting a good night’s sleep helps regulate your immune system and prevent inflammation, which helps prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Achieving REM sleep lowers your blood pressure, reducing the risks of hypertension.

Are There Specific Sleep Disorders That Affect Heart Health?

Several sleep disorders can increase the risks of heart health issues, including sleep apnea and insomnia.

What Are The Effects Of Sleep Apnea On Heart Health?

Sleep apnea causes people to stop breathing several times, reducing their oxygen intake. Those suffering from sleep apnea have a greater risk of coronary artery disease and hypertension, which puts you at risk of suffering a heart attack or developing heart disease.

What Is The Relationship Between Insomnia And Heart Health?

People with insomnia have trouble getting to or staying asleep, resulting in a lack of sleep. Those who wake up frequently may also have difficulty achieving REM sleep. Studies suggest those with insomnia have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

What Lifestyle Changes Can Improve Sleep And Heart Health?

Improving your sleep and heart health begins with tracking your sleep patterns. Keeping a sleep journal and using a smartwatch to monitor your sleep can help you identify factors affecting your ability to get enough sleep.

Other things you can do to improve your sleep and heart health include the following:

Create a schedule: Consistent bedtimes and waking times help you regulate your sleep.
Unplug from electronics: Spend an hour before bedtime without using your smartphone, TV, or other electronic devices. Using electronics can prevent your mind from shutting down, keeping you from getting to sleep.
Stop times for stimulants: Do not consume caffeine and or smoke cigarettes in the evening. Stimulants can impair your ability to get to sleep.
Exercise: Regular exercise earlier in the day promotes healthy sleep patterns and heart health.
Create a healthy sleep atmosphere: Customize your sleep space to eliminate distractions. Use blackout curtains to keep your bedroom dark. Choose soothing colors for your bedroom decor, and regulate the temperature so it isn’t too warm, which will prevent you from sleeping.

How A Heart Scan Can Help

Schedule a preventative medical scan with experts near your location to assess your heart health. A heart health scan reveals plaque buildup in your arteries. Since plaque buildup can lead to heart failure or a heart attack, knowing whether you have plaque buildup can give you peace of mind about your heart health or help you develop a preventative strategy to restore your heart’s health.