Is there a pea under your mattress?
I’ll warn you in advance Dr. Lugnut—I didn’t get much sleep last night. Here’s my question: Does the amount of sleep I get matter when it comes to heart disease?
Yes. There’s a mantra that you need 8 hours of sleep nightly. Is that true? Like the recommendation to drink 8 cups of water daily, there’s no science to back up the sleep claim or the drink claim.
Can we focus on sleep and leave the water out of it? I’ve got a headache.
Easy, princess – did someone put a pea under your mattress? One recent review evaluated 15 studies that looked at sleep and its relationship to heart disease. Over 160,000 people and their sleep habits were evaluated for 30 years. Over 11,000 heart attacks or strokes happened during the study. People who had sleeping problems were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Problems with an “S?” What sleeping problems?
Three problems: 1) Difficulty going to sleep; 2) Difficulty staying asleep; and 3) Waking up feeling “unrested.” If you had these issues you were 27%, 11%, and 18%, respectively, more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Maybe this helps to explain part of the link between stress and heart disease. Stressed out people don’t sleep well.
Great, now I’ll try so hard to fall asleep that I won’t be able to. Why do I talk to you? So, is there a certain number of hours I should sleep at night?
Here’s another thing to put under your mattress. One study surveyed over 12,000 US adults and looked at sleep duration and then determined how old peoples blood vessels were. The people with the “youngest” blood vessels got 7 hours of sleep nightly. People who got 5 hours had blood vessels 1.4 years older than those who got 7. Interestingly, people who got 8 and 9 hours had older blood vessels too. One English physician named Thomas Sydenham said that “a man is only as old as his arteries.” The older our arteries, the more likely the chance of strokes and heart attacks.
I guess in England, women aren’t as old as their arteries? OK, never mind, I’m just tired. I’m kind of bummed the sleep time wasn’t 8 or 9 hours. What’s the connection between sleep and heart disease?
People who sleep less are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and and diabetes. Poor sleepers are also more likely to smoke and be obese. Some researchers have also shown that sleep depriving people makes their bodies act like they have diabetes. I’ve noticed when I don’t sleep much working that the next day my body craves high calorie foods because it’s under stress. Sadly, about 35% of all adults in the US get < 7 hours of sleep nightly.
So let’s pretend that you don’t get enough sleep because your wife makes you sleep on the hard couch because she caught you drinking out of the milk carton and not lifting the toilet seat…again. What can they do to sleep better? Asking for a friend.
I’m not a marriage counselor. A few months ago, I went on a Boy Scout campout. Prior to going to bed, I added two flavored drink mixes to my water. At 3 a.m., I was still wide awake thanks to those drink mixes being caffeine packets. After 2 hours of sleep, that morning bugle sounds like a hippopotamus giving birth in your tent.
Hah! So besides avoiding caffeine near bedtime, what else can I do?
There are some proven, simple things you can do to increase your sleep quality:
1). NO screens in bed or right before bed (smart phones, computers, and televisions). Avoid listening to the radio too.
2). Get sunlight during the day
3). Don’t nap
4). Near bedtime, avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, vigorous exercise, large meals, and stressful conversations.
5). Use the bed only for the two things that start with “S” (Hint: one is sleep).
6). Keep your room quiet and dark
7). Spend no more than 20 minutes trying to fall asleep, and no more than 8 total hours in bed.
8). Be consistent about bed/wake up times.
9). Try muscle relaxation techniques.
Let’s pretend I’m not royalty and peas don’t bother me. What about getting restful sleep.
The most common cause is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is where your airway (trachea) is blocked by your neck tissue and you actually stop breathing and drop your oxygen levels. Your mind never gets deep sleep because it’s freaking out its not getting enough air. Get this…1 in 5 adults in the US suffers from at least mild sleep apnea.
How do I know if I have sleep apnea?
If you answer “yes” to at least 4 of the following questions, you should be screened for sleep apnea by your primary provider. It may be one of the best things you ever do.
1). Do you often feel tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the daytime?
2). Has anyone ever observed you stop breathing during sleep?
3). Do you have (or are you being treated for) high blood pressure?
4). Is you body mass index >/=35?
5). Is your age >/=50?
6). Is your neck circumference >15.5 inches?
7). Are you a man?
I bet you’re going to tell me that poor sleep makes me ask funny questions?
Let’s just say, I wouldn’t go to a job interview sleep deprived. Enjoy the video.