Getting a good night's sleep doesn't just give you a spring in your step the next morning - it may also make your heart healthier.
In late 2008, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that getting more sleep was associated with a lower risk of coronary artery calcification, which is the buildup of plaques in the arteries supplying the heart.
The authors followed nearly 500 middle-aged people, measuring their coronary artery calcification twice, five years apart, using computed tomography. The researchers also measured the participants' sleep for several nights in a row during the study by having them wear a motion sensor on their wrist.
Getting more sleep was linked to a lower chance of developing calcification. In fact, the researchers report that an added hour of sleep lowered the odds of calcification by 33 percent! This drop in risk is about the same as you'd get from lowering your blood pressure by more than 16 points, which is a sizeable reduction in blood pressure.
Enjoying better sleep requires some simple, common-sense steps, according to the National Sleep Foundation, which recommends that you:
- Go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time throughout the week, even on the weekends.
- Take time to relax awhile before you head to bed, which means avoiding bill-paying, competitive games, or other stimulating activities just before bedtime.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Use your bedroom only for sleeping and sex - not work or watching television.
- Avoid eating, caffeinated drinks, and alcohol in the evenings. All can interfere with your sleep.
- Get regular exercise, which supports good sleep. But avoid exercising within a few hours of bedtime.
Note: While Life Line Screening does not screen the coronary arteries (arteries around the heart), we do look for related disease that can help you and your doctor determine if you should have your coronary arteries checked.
Life Line Screening can help you identify your risk for heart disease:
Learn more about peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
Learn more about C-reactive protein (CRP)
Learn more about cholesterol
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