If someone said to you that your lifetime risk of a heart attack was close to 100 percent, you'd probably want to do everything you could to either prevent that fate or delay it by as long as possible, right?
Heart attacks continue to be the number-one killer of Americans; 1.5 million heart attacks occur in the United States each year, with 500,000 deaths. Costs related to heart attack exceed $60 billion per year.
Most of us are aware of the ways in which we can help keep our hearts healthy:
But what about sleep? How does that factor in?
Turns out that sleep factors in big time: a new study shows that poor sleep may worsen heart health by increasing inflammation. Chronic inflammation has gained a lot of attention in recent years due to the associations found between this bodily process and an array of illnesses and disease. While inflammation is a normal physiological process and part of our immune system, when it runs amok it can wreak havoc on our cells and tissues. This explains why inflammation can play a major role in heart health, as it can lead to restricted blood flow and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
This recent study found that regular bouts of insomnia and poor sleep quality may increase inflammation throughout the body, which may be further aggravated by high cholesterol, resulting in heart complications. The specifics:
There was something else that the researchers discovered to their surprise: men -- not women -- who experienced poor sleep quality had less flexible arteries. This condition also contributes to hypertension and puts more stress on the heart.
The reason for this could be due to certain hormones or other variables going on in women that help explain the discrepancy. This doesn't mean women can get away with poor sleep. It just means that we need to study gender differences when it comes to health and their separate risk profiles.
Fibrinogen, one of the other markers observed in this study, forms a fibrous mesh that slows blood flow, thus increasing blood pressure and potentially causing hypertension. This fibrous mesh quickens the time it takes for your blood to clot, which can cause a stroke or heart attack.
So it goes without saying that we all need to keep sleep on our list of priorities for keeping our hearts healthy and strong.
Bottom line: Rest up to keep your heart up and running. You may feel like a ticking time bomb as you juggle too many to-dos and run around like mad addressing your commitments and obligations. But that ticking time bomb can be real if you're simultaneously throwing sleep out the window. Add more minutes to your life just by adding more quality sleep minutes to your time in bed.
It really could be as easy as that.
Sweet dreams,
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com
Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor
Sleep Heart Risk: Seven Hours of Sleep Best for Your Heart ...
Well one thing for sure is that we will all die. Most will die of heart attacks. None will survive much past 100. So my remedy, and I am 70, is stay away from your doctor. He is in the sick business. If you get something serious he is not going to cure you. Most things will pass with time if you see him or you don't.
I had by pass surgury almost 20 years ago. I did not need the surgury but my doctor, i think he had ordered a new Mercedes and wanted to pay for it faster talked me into it. I have not seen a doctor for anything in the past 15 years. I feel healthier, less stressed out and less worried about every little ache and pain than I ever did.
Want to live a long life? Stay out of hospitals and doctor's offices. They are more likely to kill you than save you. And don't ever forget. They bury their mistakes. a second thing to never forget is that they are in it for the money. So they will medicate you to the high heavens, they will convince you that you have illnesses and deseases that you do not have. In other words when you walk into their office, if you are not carefu,l you will die in his care.,
A lot of people think that doctors hold the key to health. Truth is, each of us personally hold the key to health. Even when we're victims of accidents or genetic disorders we play a MAJOR role in healing.
I think this has had a positive impact on my getting to sleep as well as the quality of sleep during the night because my brain is not all wired-up with the stimulant. If you abuse caffeine like I did (drinking diet soda all day), try cutting it out of your diet for the evening hours (or the hours before your regular sleep) to see if that helps.
Right now, the American workplace--if you are 'lucky' enough to be a part of it--comes with relentless productivity demands and zero security. Many parents are working three or four jobs between them and still not making ends meet. If one person or both are out of work, it's even worse.
Of course people can't sleep. As for heart attacks, America is kind of in the middle of one, right now. The American Dream right now is a recipe for a heart attack.
But there is one drug that seems to be effective protection in many cases: Money.
Lots and lots of money.