Sleep is so important! American Heart Association: 5 sleep patterns that help you live longer and reduce deaths from heart disease and cancer
Does sleep quality affect life expectancy? Poor sleep may triple the risk of heart disease
did you sleep well? Beware of long-term poor sleep quality, which can affect your heart health and even your future lifespan. A latest research report released at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Heart Association pointed out that sleep quality has an impact on both total mortality and cardiovascular event mortality, and is related to the length of life expectancy. Starting healthy sleep habits early can reduce the risk of early death in young adults.
On the contrary, about 8% of the total mortality can be attributed to poor sleep quality, and researchers remind that sleep quality does not entirely depend on “sleep length”, whether there is difficulty falling asleep, whether there is difficulty falling asleep after sleep interruption, etc. Various sleep disorders and other issues need to be taken into consideration.
A review of the literature found that getting too much or too little sleep can have a negative impact on heart health. For people with sleep apnea, the cessation of breathing during sleep is more likely to be a potential cause of various heart diseases (including ischemic heart disease), cardiac arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation), and high blood pressure. One study even pointed out that people with multiple sleep disorders, including difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and sleeping less than 6 hours, may increase the risk of heart disease by nearly three times.
Have five good sleep habits to reduce cardiovascular mortality by 21%
A team from Harvard Medical School analyzed data from 170,000 people from 2013 to 2018 in an attempt to clarify the relationship between sleep habits and life expectancy. The results show that people with 5 sleep patterns are generally healthier and live longer. The five good sleep habits include:
Maintaining 7-8 hours of sleep every night;
Having difficulty falling asleep no more than twice a week;
Having difficulty falling asleep no more than 2 times a week after sleep interruption;
Not using any sleep aids. Medication;
Feel fully rested for at least 5 days a week after getting up.
After including the above five sleep patterns into the score, the research team concluded that people with five types of good sleep quality have a 30% reduction in overall mortality, the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease is less than 21%, and the risk of dying from cancer Below 40%. In addition, men with good sleep habits or only one sleep difficulty can expect to live 4.7 years longer, and women with 2.4 years longer.
The research team said that the tracking results of sleep quality can be used as an assessment of life span after the age of 30. This shows that if people develop good sleep habits earlier, the long-term benefits to overall health will be more substantial. In particular, many unhealthy behaviors are accumulated over a long period of time in youth, and eventually develop into huge harm to health. Therefore, it is never too early to develop good sleeping habits, just like exercising and quitting smoking. You can start now.
How to improve sleep problems? Harvard University makes 6 suggestions
How can ordinary people improve sleep quality? Harvard Medical School reminds that less than 6 hours of sleep may increase the risk of various chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. There are six major aspects to improve sleep quality:
Examine the root causes, including diseases, medication and other issues;
Good sleep habits: only sleep in bed or engage in sexual activity, avoid noise and light obstruction, and try to get up at the same time. If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and engage in reading or other relaxing behaviors. Do not force yourself to fall asleep.
Control your sleep during the day. Lying in bed during the day may make it difficult to fall asleep at night. If you feel depressed during the day, you can simply close your eyes to rest.
Exercise during the appropriate period. Exercise will stimulate the body and brain. It is recommended to avoid exercising within three hours before going to bed.
Avoid bad diet, foods that can easily cause heartburn and heartburn, and drinks containing caffeine. It is not recommended to drink alcohol six hours before going to bed, and it is not recommended to drink alcohol two hours before going to bed.
Consult a sleep expert. If improving the above sleep habits still does not work, it is recommended to go to a sleep center to seek diagnosis from a specialist.
In terms of diet, foods rich in L-tryptophan can be converted into serotonin, which can help calm the body, improve sleep and calm mood, while complex carbohydrates (whole grains) will promote the conversion of L-tryptophan into serotonin. It also helps to stabilize blood sugar. Foods rich in L-tryptophan include chicken, milk, pumpkin seeds, cheese, beans, fish, eggs, meat, almonds, etc. In addition, consuming more fruits and vegetables that help fight inflammation, as well as unrefined whole grains, can also help maintain overall health.
Source:
Sleep - Harvard Health Publishing
Getting Good Sleep Could Add Years to Your Life
Sleep health composites are associated with the risk of heart disease across sex and race
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