Quality Sleep & Heart Health in Sugar Land, TX

Quality sleep is essential for your overall health and quality of life. When you consistently have poor sleep, you are at a greater risk of certain health issues like obesity, high blood pressure, and stress. Your sleep quality also plays a significant role in your heart health. Poor sleep and conditions like sleep apnea can increase the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular issues. At Reddy Cardiac Wellness and Diabetes Reversal Center, we can help you manage your risk factors for cardiovascular problems and improve your sleep quality, diet, nutrition, and overall health to improve your quality of life and well-being. Keep reading to learn more about the connection between sleep and heart health in Sugar Land, TX.

Health Conditions Linked to Poor Sleep

Certain health conditions are linked to poor sleep quality or a consistent lack of sleep. If you sleep less than seven hours per night, you have a greater risk of depression, anxiety, obesity, heart attack, and asthma. The most common health problems associated with poor sleep are:

• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular disease

Issues That Affect Sleep

Certain environmental and biological issues can affect your ability to get a good night’s sleep. Over time, a lack of sleep can cause a decline in your physical and mental health. The most common issues that affect sleep are:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Stress and anxiety
• Chronic pain
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Medical conditions
• Depression
• Environmental factors like noise, light, weather, and temperature
• Allergies and sinus issues
• Headaches and migraines
• Teeth grinding or bruxism
• Insomnia

How Sleep Apnea Affects the Heart

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that happens when your airway narrows or closes while sleeping. This can interrupt your breathing and affect the level of oxygen that gets to your brain. Obstructive sleep apnea reduces blood oxygen levels and can damage the blood vessels that supply your heart. It can also lead to increased blood pressure, which puts added strain on your cardiovascular system. Over time, sleep apnea can even cause your heart to enlarge and cause left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, which increases your risk of heart failure. Sleep apnea can also trigger irregular heart rhythms. Early sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, such as CPAP therapy, can mitigate risks and improve heart health. Recognizing sleep apnea symptoms can ensure you get the sleep apnea treatment you need:

• Loud snoring
• Intense fatigue, even when you feel like you got enough sleep
• Waking up gasping for breath
• Breathing through your mouth while sleeping
• Unexplained weight gain
• Depression or anxiety

Understanding Restorative Sleep

Restorative sleep is the period of sleep that renews and restores your mind and body. During restorative sleep, your body enters deep sleep and REM sleep. These sleep periods allow your body to take care of essential reparative processes such as cellular repair, muscle rejuvenation, and tissue restoration and engage in emotional processing and memory processing. Most people need 40-50% of their sleep time to be restorative sleep. If you don’t get enough restorative sleep, your physical and mental health can suffer. Adequate sleep helps regulate blood pressure and stress levels, both of which are essential for heart health. Adults should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

Improving Sleep for Heart Health

Most adults do not get the recommended or needed amount of sleep each night. Going long periods without enough sleep causes what is called a ‘sleep deficit,’ and this can affect your physical and mental health and increase your risk of heart conditions and other health problems. Here are some tips for improving your sleep:

• Stick to a regular sleep schedule as much as possible. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, even on the weekends or your days off.
• Try to get more natural light each day by spending some time outside earlier in the day.
• Get some physical activity during the day, but don’t exercise within a few hours of your bedtime.
• Avoid exposure to blue or artificial light within a few hours of bedtime.
• Don’t eat or drink within a few hours of your bedtime.
• Limit your consumption of alcohol, fatty foods, and sugar within a few hours of your bedtime.
• Create a sleep-friendly bedroom that is free from distractions and is cool, dark, and quiet.
• Remove electronic devices from your bedroom, and don’t use them for at least an hour before bedtime.
• To decompress before bed, try reading, low-impact stretching exercises, listening to soothing music, or using meditation or relaxation techniques.

Schedule a Consultation With Our Cardiac Specialists

By prioritizing restorative sleep, you can support a healthy heart and reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular conditions. At Reddy Cardiac Wellness and Diabetes Reversal Center, we focus on helping our patients better understand the connection between sleep and health so that they can take greater control of their health. We can help you identify issues that could be affecting your sleep and help you make key changes to improve your sleep hygiene. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Reddy or Dr. Khan, call us now or schedule an appointment online.