Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Health Tip: Sleep to Your Heart's Content

THOUGHT you only needed enough sleep to have a clear head to get rich or die trying, did you?

Well, here's news: Sufficient sleep can do wonders, not only for your head but your heart!

Who says? None other than Alan S. Gertler. The good doctor is associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He's a cardiologist.

A good night's sleep can do wonders for a certain organ. Image from Getty Images.

“Deep, high-quality sleep is needed to lower heart rate and blood pressure, which reduce stress on the heart,” Gertler recently told the UAB News. “Without enough sleep, there is an increase in blood pressure and stress hormones, lower glucose tolerance and weight gain. “All of these factors can increase the risk of coronary artery disease.”

Anybody getting less than six hours of sleep a night suffers from sleep deprivation. This particular malady can lead one down the slippery slope of elevated C-reactive protein levels or (CRP). This doesn't sound good and it isn't.

An elevated CRP level "may be a marker of inflammation of the endothelial lining of the arteries, which can increase the risk of atherosclerosis” or hardening of the arteries, Gertler said.

Not getting enough sleep? See your doctor (or someone else's if necessary), Gertler counseled.

Heartfelt advice.

Visit http://www.uab.edu/medicine/cardiovascular/ to learn more about the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Rx

11 comments :

  1. Of course, it is really important to having a good sleep to protect from some diseases. Otherwise it may occur health issues. So health is the wealth always.

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  2. I'm certainly suffering from sleep deprivation,is there anything called sleep catching up? I mean like can you make up for deprived sleep with extra rest and then everything becomes all right? Thanks for the heartfelt advice!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Hello ... I would suggest that you speak to your doctor.

      That written, Secured Personal Loans Online, my experience teaches me that I should try for extra sleep when I have been sleep deprived. Do I ever catch up? I am not sure. What I am certain of, however, is that I feel less tired.

      I'd be interested to know what you learn. And perhaps that is a story to pursue. Stay tuned for that. Thanks for your question.

      Best,

      Vee

      Delete
  3. I'm certainly suffering from sleep deprivation,is there anything called sleep catching up? I mean like can you make up for deprived sleep with extra rest and then everything becomes all right? Thanks for the heartfelt advice!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't slept for ages,I'm heartless, did a holter monitoring recently,they found that my heart is going hiphop,I mean seriously it's irregular, no idea why, perhaps the sleep problem

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    1. Dear Best office space in Birmingham:

      Hello ... Thanks for sharing. It sounds as if you are on a good path: speaking with healtcare professionals. Good luck and wishing you good nights' sleep.

      Delete

 
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