In Touch with You Blog

Ever hear people say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead"? This may happen sooner than they think if they do not reconsider their sleeping habits. Sleep is crucial for good health. Some research suggests that people who stay up late are more prone to heart disease even if they get eight hours of sleep. In another study, women who slept five hours or less a night were 39% more likely to develop heart disease than those who got eight hours.

Lack of sleep can also lead to high levels of certain hormones and chemicals that are associated with higher levels of heart disease and stroke. Sleep is required by the body to be able to repair damaged tissue and to produces hormones that helps to keep the body trim, strengthens the immune system, and keeps the heart and blood vessels in top shape.

No one really knows why sleep may affect the heart, or if there is some unidentified factor that affects the cardiovascular system and ability to fall sleep. But one nighttime problem is linked to Cardiovascular Disease -- sleep apnea.
People with cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke have a high prevalence of sleep apnea. Whether sleep apnea actually causes heart disease is still unclear, but we do know that if you have sleep apnea today, the chance that you will develop hypertension in the future increases significantly.