Sleep is critical to maintaining good, overall health.  It provides time for the body to repair cells, tissue, and blood vessels, strengthens the immune system, improves mood, and increases energy and brain function.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep each night.  Studies show that sleep deprivation can negatively affect heart health by contributing to high blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, and stroke. 

Recently, the American Heart Association added sleep to its heart health checklist, a list of 8 key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health: diet, exercise, tobacco use, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and now sleep.  The effects of getting more quality sleep can help benefit a person’s heart health.

During sleep, the stimulation of the nervous system is reduced, and heart-rate, breathing, and blood pressure drop to levels below those that occur when a person is awake.  When an individual experiences sleep disruptions, their blood pressure and heart rate will remain higher for longer periods of time.  High blood pressure is the leading risk for heart disease and stroke.

Sleep also affects the hormones that control hunger, the body’s response to insulin, and a person’s metabolism.  Sleep deprivation can cause people to crave foods that are higher in added sugar, fats, and sodium.  Excessive intake of these types of food can lead to health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A lack of sleep can decrease motivation for exercise because a person is already feeling tired.  Studies show that regular physical activity can help to improve sleep quality and reduce pre-sleep anxiety.  Exercising in the afternoon or early evening is most helpful for promoting sleep; however, workouts completed just before bedtime can increase stress hormones and worsen sleep issues.

Conditions such as sleep disorders can also harm a person’s heart health.  Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that occurs when the airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep, causing the individual to stop breathing for a short amount of time.  This decreases the amount of oxygen that the body receives while sleeping, and in response, blood vessels constrict and heart rate and blood pressure increase.  Sleep apnea is associated with a number of serious health complications, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and stroke.

Insomnia – the inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both – is the most common sleep disorder in the United States.  Over the past decade, insomnia has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart failure.  The sleep disorder is also the number one symptom of people who have heart failure.  Certain medications, such as beta blockers, can also contribute to insomnia, as well as health anxieties.  Individuals who suffer from insomnia may experience symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and problems with concentration or memory.

People who are having trouble sleeping should visit their healthcare professional if symptoms of poor sleep last for more than a couple weeks.  Sleep issues may be a result of an underlying health condition or a sleep disorder.  A patient may be asked to participate in a sleep study that will monitor their eye movement, pulse, breathing rate, body movements, snoring, and blood oxygen levels.  Results of the study will help determine the appropriate course of action for better sleep.