How many hours should I sleep?
Every night, most people need at least 7 hours of sleep. 1 However, more than one-third of American people say they don’t get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can cause major health problems and make some of them worse over time. This may be fine for one or two days.
What health issues are associated with insufficient sleep?
It’s more likely for adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night to say they’ve had health problems like a heart attack, asthma, or sadness. Some of these health issues make you more likely to get heart disease, have a heart attack, or have a stroke. Some of these health issues are:
Too much blood pressure.
It is normal for your blood pressure to drop while you sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, your blood pressure will stay high for a longer period. 4 Heart disease and stroke are more likely to happen if you have high blood pressure. One in three adults in the US, or 75 million people, have high blood pressure.
I have type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease that causes your blood sugar levels to rise, causing damage to your blood vessels. Getting enough good sleep may help people control their blood sugar, according to some studies.
Being fat.
Not getting enough sleep can make you gain weight in a bad way. Kids and teens need more sleep than adults, so this is especially important for them. A part of the brain that handles hunger might not work as well if you don’t get enough sleep.
What kinds of sleep can be bad for my heart?
Not getting enough sleep can hurt your heart health over time.
You stop breathing for brief periods when your mouth closes repeatedly while you sleep. This is called sleep apnea. Overweight people and people who have heart disease can both get sleep apnea.
If you have sleep apnea, your body doesn’t get enough air while you sleep. This makes you more likely to have a lot of health problems, like high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Black people, Hispanic people, and Native Americans are more likely to have it than white people.
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If you have insomnia, you may have trouble getting asleep, staying asleep, or both. One in two people will have short-term insomnia at some point, and one in ten may have sleeplessness that lasts for a long time. 8 Lack of sleep can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Over time, not getting enough sleep can also cause you to do things that are bad for your heart, such as being more stressed out, not wanting to be active, and choosing bad foods.
How can I sleep better?
- Make sure you get enough sleep every night. Each night, go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every morning, all week long.
- Get a lot of natural light, mainly in the morning.
- Do enough physical things during the day. Do your best not to work out too close to bedtime.
- Stay away from artificial light, especially right before bed. Put a blue-light screen on your phone or computer.
- Don’t eat or drink anything for a few hours before going to bed. Stay away from booze and foods that are high in sugar or fat.
- Work with your healthcare team to figure out what is keeping you from sleeping well, such as other health problems.