For some of us sleep is elusive, something we chase, desperately hoping for more. At the same time others eschew it to squeeze more into their day. Commonly, sleep is seen as expendable. We load up on coffee and power through because being productive is highly valued in our society. However, while we might feel we get more done, the effects of not getting enough sleep are wide-reaching.
The truth is if you’re chronically underslept you have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. This is true regardless of your age, how much you weigh, your exercise habits, and whether you smoke. The 8 Sleep facts you need to know
There is hope though. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation “8 in 10 cases of premature heart disease and stroke cases are preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviours.” To maintain a heart healthy lifestyle, you need to be getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Nothing else can happen without a good night's sleep! People who can genuinely thrive on 5-6 hours sleep without negative health consequences are as rare as supermodels. Are you a supermodel? We’re not either, so let’s be honest with ourselves:
If the answers to the these questions are ‘no’, then maybe you should start by getting more sleep. Sleep is often overlooked in our society. We go to bed later and later because we see sleep as expendable, a time that can be better spent doing more “productive” things. But the science is clear, the length and quality of your sleep is fundamental to your cardiovascular health. We recommend making sleep a priority in your cardioprotective lifestyle plan. Comments are closed.
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AuthorWe want to provide nothing but the highest quality information and advice for our followers to improve their health, which is why at Truehope Canada, we're happy to say our writer is a Certified Life Coach and Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Categories
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