Nightly routine helps keep your heart out of the crosshairs

For over a decade, the American Heart Association has told us that there are 7 simple factors that we need to pay attention to in order to LIMIT our risk for heart disease.

They are:

• cigarette smoking
• obesity
• hypertension
• high cholesterol
• physical inactivity
• poor diet
• diabetes.

But it turns out that the AHA had OVERLOOKED one huge factor in heart risk…

Until now.

Now, I’m not always a big fan of these ultra-mainstream organizations‘ recommendations… which too often come across to me as a way to encourage docs to prescribe more drugs.

But I can’t deny the influence that the AHA has on both physicians and their patients – some of which is very good, like urging folks to kick their pack-a-day habit.

And I like MUCH of their advice, like to shed a few extra pounds… get a little more movement in… stick to fresh foods… and keep blood sugar in check.

ALL of these could help beat back heart disease… stroke… and more.

So, I’m encouraged that the AHA is making a big deal out of adding a #8 to their “checklist for lifelong good health” – especially given how CRUCIAL that new item is for overall health.

Here’s what’s been missing… and why it’s so important.

According to the American Heart Association, there’s a health behavior we all need to focus more on: sleep.

Now, this new addition comes as no surprise to me – only that they took so long to add it to their list!

You’ve read before right here in eAlert how poor sleep quality has been linked to heart rhythm problems, like afib…

And how getting plenty of restful sleep could help SLASH your risk of heart failure.

The AHA has finally acknowledged that sleep duration should be included as one of the key measures for improving and maintaining heart health – a.k.a. “Life’s Essential 8.”

It makes sense, when you consider how lack of sleep could lead to OTHER heart risk factors…

Like unhealthy blood pressure… blood sugar… and cholesterol readings…

As well as obesity.

Folks who are overtired tend to eat more “junk food”… and don’t have enough energy to get their daily activity in.

Now, I know everybody’s different… and you may think you’re doing just fine on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night…

But the “official” recommendation for adults is to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

Now, what you might NOT have heard is that sleeping TOO MUCH could put your heart health in the crosshairs, too!

That’s why experts want you to get no more than 9 hours of sleep.

So how do you hit that “sweet spot“?

First of all, maintain good “sleep hygiene” by keeping your bedroom dark and quiet… and turning off all screens before bedtime.

For a little EXTRA help, you can try natural sleep aids, like…

• melatonin, the “sleep hormone” that regulates sleep/wake cycles
• 5-HTP, a form of tryptophan (the substance in turkey that makes you sleepy)
• valerian, a sedative herb that increases your supply of the calming neurotransmitter GABA, and
• enzyme-treated asparagus stem extract, which helps banish stress.

Start with one… and then experiment to see what works best for you.

As always, check with your doc to make sure adding new supplements won’t interact with any medications or other supplements you may already be taking.

To your restful sleeping habits,
Sarah Reagan

Source:
“Bye-Bye, ‘Life’s Simple 7’: AHA Redefines Cardiovascular Health by Adding Sleep” – MedPage Today (6/29/22)
www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/99510