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Sleep isn’t an option. It is essential to maintaining good health. Sleep helps the body repair itself. A good night’s sleep allows you to function normally throughout the daytime. The majority of adults require at least seven hours of rest each night. However, over 1 out of three American adults aren’t getting proper sleep. While this might be okay for a couple of days, sleeping insufficiently over time could lead to grave health problems and even worsen certain health problems.
What Is The Connection Between Sleep And Blood Pressure?
Sleep experts suggest that adults rest for between 7 and 8 hours per night. A sleep schedule that is less than six hours can be detrimental to general health. Stress, jet lag, shift work, and various issues with sleep make people more likely to develop heart disease and be at risk for heart diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Insufficient sleep can result in hypertension in both adults and children.
How Do Sleep Disorders Increase The Risk Of High Blood Pressure?
The more you rest, the more your blood pressure could rise. People sleeping for 6 hours or less could be more susceptible to higher blood pressure. If you already suffer from hypertension, sleeping enough can cause your blood pressure to rise. Sleep is believed to help the body manage hormones required to regulate metabolism and stress. As time passes, an absence of sleep can cause fluctuations in hormone levels. Changes in hormones could lead to elevated blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.
Don’t attempt to compensate for your lack of sleep by sleeping a lot. Sleeping too much can result in elevated blood sugar levels and weight gain, which can affect the health of your heart. Consult your doctor for advice on getting more sleep habits, especially if you have high blood pressure.
Sleep apnea is one potential cause that can be treated for insufficient sleep and contributing to hypertension. This sleep condition results in breathing stopping and restarting often in the night. Consult your doctor if you feel exhausted after a good night’s sleep, particularly if you snore. Obstructive sleep apnea could be the reason. Obstructive sleep apnea could increase the risk of high blood pressure and other heart-related problems.
Sleep Hygiene Practices For Better Blood Pressure Control
The first step towards greater sleep quality is to make it a priority. Sleep is mostly manageable; therefore, you can improve your sleep by committing to a few easy modifications. Try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each evening. Children require even more than 8-10 hours of sleep for teenagers or 9-11 hours for children of school age. If you are experiencing sleep issues, discuss it with your doctor to identify medical or health issues which could be the cause. Keep following these tried and tested sleep hygiene tips to get the healthy sleep you need to keep your high blood pressure or lower it.
- Create a routine for your sleep. Sleep at the same hour every evening and wake up every morning. Ensure you get at least 30 minutes of natural sunlight daily, particularly later. Consider a morning or lunchtime stroll.
- Do some exercise every day. Do not exercise within a couple of hours before you go to bed.
- Beware of artificial light coming from TVs, phones, computers, and televisions within a couple of hours before you go to bed. Use a blue-light filter for your smartphone or computer, or wear blue-light-filtering eyeglasses.
- Avoid eating or drinking within a couple of hours of your bedtime, especially alcohol or food items high in fat or sugar. Avoid caffeine as of late afternoon.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark and cool. It should also be peaceful. Do not have pets or other devices near.
Supplements recommended to help in regulating blood pressure, sleep, and heart health
- Omega-3 Forte is a diet supplement containing highly concentrated seafood oil and 70% omega-3 in each capsule. The large amount of omega-3 enables you to take your recommended dose of just one capsule daily. Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that significantly impacts several bodily functions, including EPA and DHA, which are essential to the proper functioning of the heart and the eye.
