{"id":28196,"date":"2023-10-30T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/sin-categorizar\/sleep-heart-health"},"modified":"2024-04-09T09:23:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T13:23:27","slug":"sleep-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/es\/blog-es\/sleep-heart-health","title":{"rendered":"Heart Health, Sleep & How You Can Live Longer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show your heart some love tonight \u2013 put it to bed<\/h2>\n

\"HeartIf your favorite saying is \u201cI\u2019ll sleep when I\u2019m dead,\u201d pay attention. The health of your heart \u2013 and your long life \u2013 depends on it. Sleep boosts memory and mood, helps keep your weight in check, fortifies your immune system, reduces inflammation and keeps your blood vessels, heart and other organs lean and healthy.<\/p>\n

Sleep sounds pretty powerful, right? But how does it work?<\/p>\n

During sleep, you\u2019re body works hard to repair damaged tissues, manufacture life-sustaining hormones and catalog memories from the previous day. Skip sleep and you\u2019re ability to handle stress (physical, mental and emotional) and learn new skills is severely diminished. People who sleep less than 6 hours a night don\u2019t spend enough time in the deepest stages of sleep and are at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes than those who clock at least 7 hours.\u00a0Sleep deprivation<\/a>\u00a0is a costly habit.<\/p>\n

Instead of thinking of sleep as an 8-hour sentence in a void of nothingness, use it as the path to a longer, heart-healthier life.<\/p>\n

10 ways to love your heart \u2013 better<\/h2>\n

Being proactive about your heart health can feel like a full time job. Making healthy food choices. hitting the gym regularly, eschewing cigarettes and alcoholic drinks is time-consuming \u2013 and sometimes stressful. What if looking after your heart began with simply getting a good night\u2019s sleep?<\/p>\n

Getting the sleep your body needs can make your existing healthy lifestyle choices even more effective, according to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. And if you\u2019re interested in more heart healthy ideas, keep reading.<\/p>\n

1. Laugh out loud. <\/strong>\u201cThe focus on the benefits of laughter really began with Norman Cousin\u2019s memoir, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies, like Marx Brothers films and episodes of Candid Camera, helped him feel better. He said that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep, excerpted from\u00a0WebMD.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Slow down<\/strong>. Be present. Breathe.<\/p>\n

3. Sniff your way to sleep<\/strong>. Lavender, chamomile, jasmine and vanilla can soothe your senses and pave the way to a restful night. Add a little\u00a0aromatherapy\u00a0to your bedtime<\/a> routine and sniff your way to sleep.<\/p>\n

4. Get a massage.<\/strong> \u201cStudies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension,\u201d according to the mayoclinic.com<\/a>. \u201cDespite its benefits, massage isn’t meant as a replacement for regular medical care. Let your doctor know you’re trying massage and be sure to follow any standard treatment plans you have.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Meditate. <\/strong>It\u2019s no secret that meditation can help us sleep better but there are some specific meditative exercises that can help us nod off when our minds are in overdrive. Read more at\u00a0huffingtonpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. Exercise<\/strong>. If you expect to sleep at night, you have to do something during the day to physically tire your body. Walk, hike, run or join a\u00a0yoga class<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7. Visit a friend. <\/strong>Take time to enjoy a friend and make each other happy for a little while. Happy people sleep better.<\/p>\n

8. Drink tea.<\/strong> Chamomile tea and green tea are safe, natural sleep aids. Green tea contains theanine, which helps promote sleep. Just be sure you get a decaf green tea if drinking it at bedtime. Read more at\u00a0realsimple.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

9. Set an electronic curfew.<\/strong> Electronics<\/a> emit a cool, bright light similar to a sunrise \u2013 not the deep, warm colors of sunset. While cool light helps us see our screens better, it also sends a wake-up call to our brains.\u00a0Reserve your bedroom for sleep and sex and leave your smart phone, tablet, laptop and TV in another room.<\/p>\n

10. Snack smart. <\/strong>The best snacks to have before bedtime are those that are low in calories but also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps the body create niacin and serotonin, the calming feel-good hormone. A warm glass of milk, just like Mom used to say, might be the best bedtime snack<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rest well & wake up ready to go!<\/h2>\n

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:<\/p>\n