Getting enough sleep, keeping consistent sleep patterns, and practicing other good sleep hygiene habits are important for your overall health. Studies suggest that inconsistent sleep patterns can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by nearly two times. It’s important to know irregular sleep patterns, why good sleep is important for your health, the negative effects of inconsistent sleep patterns, and sleep hygiene habits that will improve your heart health.
Do You Have an Irregular Sleep Schedule?
If you are an adult and go to sleep and wake up at different times every night and day, you have an irregular sleep pattern. An example of this would be going to sleep at 10 PM one night and waking up at 5 AM, then sleeping at 2 AM and waking up at 7 AM. When you do not adhere to a regular sleep schedule, you are not as likely to get enough sleep each night.
Positive Impacts of Maintaining a Sleep Schedule
Getting good sleep and spending enough time in deep stages of sleep is important for reducing inflammation in your body and refreshing your mind. Sleeping at odd hours decreases your chances of getting enough deep sleep.
Negative Impacts of an Irregular Sleep Schedule
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute conducted a study over five years which revealed that participants’ heart disease risk was greatly increased if they did not have a regular sleep schedule. Another study found that irregular sleep can also lead to metabolic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Having an irregular circadian rhythm and not getting enough deep sleep leads to more inflammation throughout your body. Having more inflammation can wreak havoc on your health. It can increase your risk of having a heart attack. If it affects your leptin levels, it can make you very hungry, increasing your chances of overeating, leading to weight gain, and ultimately increasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Healthy Sleep Hygiene Habits
There are several things you can do to regulate your sleeping patterns. First of all, you should go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning – yes, even on the weekend. Try to keep a work schedule that starts and ends consistently and allows you to be awake during the day and sleep at night. Taking a nap each day is okay, but be sure to take a nap simultaneously every day.
Regular sleep can reduce your risk of heart disease and heart attack. You should also ask your doctor about other things you can do to help prevent these two health conditions.
