{"id":5221,"date":"2021-02-12T23:32:04","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T23:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveyourlifept.com\/blog\/?p=5221"},"modified":"2021-02-12T23:32:04","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T23:32:04","slug":"a-good-nights-sleep-leads-to-a-healthy-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liveyourlifept.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/12\/a-good-nights-sleep-leads-to-a-healthy-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"A Good Night\u2019s Sleep Leads to a Healthy Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Hillary Rotunda, B.A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy Valentine\u2019s Day! The best gift you can give your loved\none is good health. This Valentine\u2019s Day, in addition to the flowers and\noversized teddy bears, wrap up your dinner a little early so you can gift\nyourselves a good night\u2019s sleep. With the long list of things to get done every\nday, it seems impossible to get the seven to nine hours of sleep that is\ncommonly recommended. Sleep may not be your number one priority. This is not\nuncommon. Nearly one in three Americans said they do not get the recommended\nseven to nine hours of sleep.1<\/sup> Besides being overly tired,\nconsistently not getting enough sleep can lead to poor hearth health and cause\nhigh blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and unhealthy weight gain.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep is fundamental for recharging, repairing, destressing\nand, as a result, keeping a healthy heart. There is extensive research that\nsleep has been shown as a key link to a healthy heart, along with regular\nexercise and a healthy diet to fighting heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc.\nHere is a look at just a few of the connections between the heart and sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Heart Disease:<\/strong> When the body is sleep\ndeprived, one of its natural responses is inflammation. Chronic inflammation\nleads to the hardening of the arteries. This build-up in the arteries leads to\nincreased blood pressure, which decreases the amount of blood pumped to the\nheart, causing coronary heart disease.2<\/sup><\/li>
  2. Obesity:<\/strong> There is a strong link between the\nlack of sufficient sleep and being overweight. Leptin and ghrelin, which\ncontrol appetite are not at the appropriate level when there is lack of sleep.\nBecause of this, late night snacking is much more likely. In addition,\nmetabolism slows down at night, as your body is preparing for sleep, causing\nthe digestion process to be slower and promoting weight gain.3<\/sup><\/li>
  3. Stress:<\/strong> As mentioned in the last blog,\nstress also has a detrimental affect on our hearts. Sleep can help combat\nstress. Getting enough sleep allows you to enter the NREM (non-rapid eye\nmovement) cycle, or deep sleep. During this stage, the heart rate slows down,\nblood pressure lowers and breathing regulates. This helps prevent the harmful\neffects of daily stress.2<\/sup><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    These three examples are just the tip of the iceberg on the\nreasons we need to get enough sleep. Making a good night\u2019s rest a top priority\ncan lead to a much longer, happier, and energized life. So first ask yourself\nif you are getting enough sleep. If not, what can you do to not only get more\nsleep, but quality sleep? Try these recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n