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How can heart rate be affected due to less sleep?

Keeping your body healthy and taking care of your sleep is very important for your heart health.

By Sarth SharmaPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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Getting a good night’s sleep is always best and relaxing. No matter how tired or stressed you are getting a relaxing nap secession will always help you get calm and composed. Moreover, getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important to protect your heart health. Protecting your heart may not be on the time of your mind, but maybe it should be. It has been proven in various studies that sleep duration has decreased 1.5 hours to 2 hours per night per person in the last 50 years. But several recent studies show links between shortened sleep duration, defined as less than six hours of sleep, and increased risk of heart disease. Healthcare services are often helpful in such situations.

It’s difficult to overstate the heart’s importance to health. Responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, the heart powers the circulatory system that ensures that all the organs and tissues in the body get the oxygen they need.

Unfortunately, heart problems are a leading cause of illness and death in the United States. While it’s already well-known that factors like poor diet, limited exercise, and smoking can harm the heart, there’s a growing recognition of the dangers of sleep deprivation for heart health.

Even if you don’t wear a smartwatch or fitness band to track your heart rate, you can often sense your pulse fluctuating throughout the day. During your waking hours, the number of heartbeats per minute when you’re just sitting quietly is known as your resting heart rate. In most adults, resting heart rates range between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Once you stand up and move around, your heart rate goes up. And exercise boosts it further still. Even intense emotions — fear, anger, or surprise — can cause your heart rate to spike. But what happens when you lie down to sleep?

The answer differs depending on the phase of sleep: light sleep, deep sleep, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Most people nowadays fight the impulse to nap. In high school and all throughout early childhood, people often sacrifice their sleep either for studying or completing attendance, or completing office work. But the fact that all people should understand is that it is very important to complete your sleeping duration for a healthy heart and overall health. Yoga services that you avail might help you to calm down but it can also help you to sleep better.

How much sleep do we need?

It is scientifically suggested that a person must have an average sleep of 7–8hours each night, each day. However, more than 1 in 3 people say don’t get the recommended amount of sleep. Although this may be fine for two to three days, not getting enough sleep for a longer duration can lead to serious health problems and make health problems worse.

How does your heart health change while you sleep?

It has been proved that during sleeping there is a stimulation generated in our central nervous system that is reduced and most of the processes of our body slow down. This phenomenon has been studied and researched by various physicians and doctors all over the world.

With five minutes of us getting into sleep the heart rate starts to gradually slow down and begin to enter the relaxed state of your heart as you fall off into light sleep. Your body temperature also drops down and you start feeling calm and relaxed. Your muscles also get relaxed. People typically spend most of their sleep duration in light sleep. Deep sleep occurs for a short interval of time. From an average of 8hr of sleep, around 6hr and 30–45 min are light sleep and 1hr and 15–20 minutes consist of deep sleep. During this deep sleep phase, your blood pressure significantly falls and the heart rate falls down to 20% to 30% below your resting heart rate. You can also check your deep sleep and light sleep cycle through various healthcare services available today.

During your sleep when you dream you enter a sleep phase which is called REM or dreaming sleep. Your heart rate can vary quite a bit during the dreaming sleep because it reflects the activity occurring in your dream. If your dream is scary or involves an activity such as running, then your heart rate rises as if you were awake.

How much sleep is best for the heart?

This is one of the most debated topics among all times. For ‘optimal health’ the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends seven of more hours of sleep per night for adults. While the American Heart Association suggests seven or eight is ideal. Meanwhile, a study presented at the 2018 European Society of Cardiology conference suggested that between six and eight hours of sleep a night is ideal for heart health. So, seven to eight hours of sleep is probably a good target.

But one of the important facts that many people often do not consider is that the quality of sleep is also very important. as most of the healing of your body only occurs during the deep sleep period thus it is important to improve the quality of sleep. Learning yoga through yoga services can significantly help you to improve your sleep.

What sleep conditions can affect heart rate?

One way that clinicians know a link exists between sleep and heart conditions is because people with sleep apnoea are more likely to experience heart disease.

When someone has sleep apnea their breathing pauses for short periods while they are sleeping. These pauses, which can occur 30 times or more times an hour, cause the person to wake as they gasp for air. This in turn prevents a restful night’s sleep.

Sleep apnea happens when your airway gets blocked repeatedly during sleep, causing you to stop breathing for short amounts of time. Sleep apnea can be caused by certain health problems, such as obesity and heart failure.

Sleep apnea affects how much oxygen your body gets while you sleep and increases the risk for many health problems, including high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

If you are also experiencing sleep apnea then there are various health care services that will properly help you to diagnose your problem and find a suitable treatment for your condition.

Insomnia refers to trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. As many as 1 in 2 adults experience short-term insomnia at some point, and 1 in 10 may have long-lasting insomnia. Insomnia is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. Over time, poor sleep can also lead to unhealthy habits that can hurt your heart, including higher stress levels, less motivation to be physically active, and unhealthy food choices. Long-extended, sleepless nights are a harbinger of problematic heart conditions. Increased stress hormones, elevated blood pressure, and accelerated heart rate are all results of insomnia and risk factors for heart failure. In fact, a recent 2013 study noted a direct link between subjects suffering from insomnia and heightened cardiovascular risk factors.

Adding a little physical activity and practicing some meditation and yoga can significantly help you to cure your insomnia. Yoga services will provide you, qualified trainers at your doorstep who will help you to maintain a sustainable healthy life.

Sleep and coronary heart disease

People with disturbed sleep patterns like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been shown to have a higher rate of developing coronary heart disease (CAD). The main reason that contributes to such a condition is that OSA increases the risk for high blood pressure, which is a known cause of CAD, as well as the events that occur during OSA, can put great stress on the heart and worsen the condition.

Coronary heart disease limits the flow of blood to the heart due to the narrowing down of arteries. This prevents the right amount of oxygen from reaching the heart. It can also cause the blood oxygen level to drop during the process of breathing which can lead to a major rise in the heart rate and blood pressure. An extra strain is put on the heart. The amount of oxygen sent to the heart decreases at the time when the heart needs more oxygen. Studies have shown that the presence of OSA increases the risk of death from CAD. But if sleep apnea is treated, death due to CAD is reduced. Availing Healthcare services from time to time is very important to maintain a good heart condition.

Tips to improve your sleep

  • Increase your exposure to sunlight.

People in current time are spending most of their time sitting on the desk, as a result, their exposure to bright sunlight becomes very less. Sunlight helps to maintain the rhythm of our body. Sunlight causes the secretion of melatonin hormone in our body which will help you to maintain your time-keeping clock of your body. Natural sunlight or bright light during the dap keeps your circadian rhythm healthy. This improves daytime energy as well as night-time sleep quality and duration. Studies have shown that exposure of sunlight improves sleep quality and duration. It also reduced the time taken to fall asleep by 83%.

  • Avoid caffeine late at night

Caffeine has numerous benefits and is consumed by 90% of the U.S. population. A single dose can enhance focus, energy, and sports performance. In one study, consuming caffeine up to 6 hours before bed significantly worsened sleep quality. Caffeine can stay elevated in your blood for 6–8 hours. Therefore, drinking large amounts of coffee after 3–4 p.m. is not recommended, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine or have trouble sleeping. If you do crave a cup of coffee in the late afternoon or evening, stick with decaffeinated coffee.

  • Incorporate yoga into your sleep

Yoga can be a significant way that you can incorporate in your lifestyle for healthy living. Yoga is a gentle and restorative way to wind down your day. A national survey found that over 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep. Over 85% said yoga helped reduce stress. You can use supportive props like bolsters, blankets, and blocks to make poses comfortable so that you can stay in the pose for longer and continue to breathe. But it is very important for you to consider the proper ethics of yoga. Yoga services will provide you qualified and trained professionals who will guide you in your yoga journey.

  • Melatonin supplements

Melatonin is a key sleep hormone that tells your brain when it’s time to relax and head to bed. melatonin supplements are an extremely popular sleep aid. Often used to treat insomnia, melatonin may be one of the easiest ways to fall asleep faster. In one study, taking 2 mg of melatonin before bed improved sleep quality and energy the next day and helped people fall asleep faster. In another study, half of the group fell asleep faster and had a 15% improvement in sleep quality. Additionally, no withdrawal effects were reported in either of the above studies. Melatonin is also useful when traveling and adjusting to a new time zone, as it helps your body’s circadian rhythm return to normal. In some countries, you need a prescription for melatonin. In others, melatonin is widely available in stores or online. Take around 1–5 mg 30–60 minutes before bed. Start with a low dose to assess your tolerance and then increase it slowly as needed. Since melatonin may alter brain chemistry, it’s advised that you check with a healthcare provider before use. You should also speak with them if you’re thinking about using melatonin as a sleep aid for your child, as long-term use of this supplement in children has not been well studied.

You should prioritize your sleep and should incorporate yoga services and health care services for maintaining your health sustainably.

Source : https://faidepro.medium.com/how-can-heart-rate-be-affected-due-to-less-sleep-ac0f61a7b77b

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About the Creator

Sarth Sharma

Technical and SEO writer. Loves trying different writing style and cycling.

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