How Quality Sleep Supports a Healthy Heart

A good night’s sleep is good for your heart

You’ve probably heard about heart-healthy eating. But what about heart-healthy sleeping?

How you sleep has a big impact on your cardiovascular health. And at ArchWell Health, we believe healthy sleep habits are an important part of senior health.

We’re not the only ones.

A few years ago, the American Heart Association added healthy sleep to its list of ways people can improve and maintain cardiovascular health. Sleep is now one of Life’s Essential 8, according to AHA experts. (The list also includes the usual suspects, like quitting tobacco, controlling weight, and managing blood pressure.

Researchers have linked sleep with a whole host of cardiovascular problems, including:

• Obesity

• Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes)

• High blood pressure (hypertension)

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

Good sleep — plus other healthy habits — can cut your risk of developing those problems.

Unfortunately, sleep disorders are common in the 60 and up crowd. We have some tips for getting better sleep. But first, let’s look at the connection between catching ZZzzs and keeping your heart healthy.

How sleeping (or not) affects your heart

How does sleep affect your heart? Let’s start with your heart rate (pulse).

When you’re asleep, your heart rate slows down because your heart doesn’t need to pump as much blood. Especially during deep sleep — mostly when you’re not dreaming — your heart rate drops by 20% to 30%. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep can boost your heart rate during the day, making your heart work harder than it should.

That’s not a good thing, especially over a long period of time. But even short bouts of sleeplessness can be dangerous. One study found a 24% increase in heart attacks right after the annual switch to daylight saving time. That’s when most of us set our clocks ahead and lose an hour of sleep.

Poor sleep also affects how we think and act, which can set off a vicious cycle: We get anxious and depressed. We start stress-eating. We turn to alcohol or tobacco. And all those things increase our risk of heart problems.

Quantity and quality matter

You’ve probably heard that adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. That’s true, but scientists are also waking up to the fact that how well you sleep may be just as important as how long you sleep.

One study of more than 60,000 people found that sleep quantity and quality contribute separately to the risk of heart problems. In other words, you may be at risk just because you have trouble falling asleep or have to rely on sleeping pills.

Sleep quality includes things like:

• Sleep duration: how long you sleep

• Sleep continuity: how well you fall asleep and stay asleep

• Sleep timing: sleeping at night instead of during the day

• Sleep satisfaction: your perception of how well you’re sleeping

• Sleep regularity: how consistent your sleep schedule is

• Sleep architecture: how much time you spend in different sleep stages

• Sleep-related daytime functioning: how alert, energetic, and awake you are during the day

All that can seem like a lot to keep up with. Just remember this: the better you sleep, the better your heart health will be. That’s the magic of senior sleep hygiene.

Improving sleep quality in older adults

If worrying about sleep is keeping you up at night, you’re not alone. Sleep disorders are common in older adults. In fact, up to half of seniors have trouble sleeping, compared with less than a quarter of the general population.

Fortunately, good sleep is possible. Here are some safe, free, and easy tips from the National Institute on Aging:

• Go to bed and get up at the same time each day.

• Follow a relaxing bedtime routine. Take a warm bath, read a book, or listen to soothing music.

• Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature.

• Exercise during the day but not within three hours of bedtime.

• Avoid late-day naps.

• Avoid late-day caffeine (found in coffee, black tea, soda, and, yes, chocolate).

• Avoid alcohol.

• Keeps screens out of the bedroom.

If you’re still having problems, talk with one of ourArchWell Health providers. As specialists in senior healthcare, they can help you get the sleep you and your heart need.