WOMANSDAY.COM / MAY 2019 105
Health
1
STOP PLAYING
CATCH-UP
Don’t skimp on
sleep Monday through
Friday, then try to
make up for it over the
weekend. A new study
from the NHLBI found
that women who do not
regularly sleep seven to
eight hours on a regular
schedule every day have
a higher risk of obesity.
Why that’s important:
Being overweight puts
you at risk for chronic
inflammation and
increases your heart
disease risk.
2
RETHINK
YOUR BEDROOM
Because sleep
disturbances are associated
with inflammation,
minimizing excess light
and noise is a must.
Consider installing
blackout curtains, putting
in earplugs, using a
white noise machine,
and turning off tech
devices that emit light.
3
GIVE YOURSELF
A BEDTIME
Your body
has an internal body
clock that dictates
when you wake and
sleep. Erratic sleep
messes with this
biological timepiece,
triggering an
inflammatory
response.
C
alling all nighttime
tossers and turners!
Yo u ’ r e p r o b a b l y
already familiar with
the basics for reducing your risk
of heart disease—eat a healthy
diet, make time for exercise,
maintain a healthy weight. Now
there’s another lifestyle habit
on the list: sleep.
The latest research shines
a light on the importance of
nightly slumber—it turns out
that poor sleep is lin ked to an
increased chance of inflammation,
something experts are calling a
major risk factor for heart disease,
similar to high blood pressure
and cholesterol. And just as you
wouldn’t let your blood pressure
go unchecked, you shouldn’t
forget inf lammation.
WHAT IS
INFLAMMATION?
The swelling, heat, and redness
you experience with an ankle
sprain is your immune system’s
inflammatory response; it
releases chemicals and white
blood cells that descend on the
injured area to kick-start healing.
A similar process occurs on
the inside of your body when
blood vessels are damaged.
HOW DOES THIS
HURT THE HEART?
In small doses, the inflammatory
response is necessary and
beneficial (no more ankle pain!).
The process can backfire,
however, if there’s ongoing
injury, and having heart
disease risk factors including high
blood pressure (or a condition
that drives inflammation, such
as psoriasis or rheumatoid
arthritis) does just that.
High blood pressure puts
extra force on arteries, and
elevated cholesterol levels
can lead to plaque buildup.
When this happens, your body
stays in SOS mode, and the
nonstop inflammatory response
can eventually damage blood
vessels, reduce blood f low,
lead to a clot that may result
in a heart attack or stroke,
or worsen risk factors that
triggered inflammation in the
first place.
WHA T ’ S T HE
SLEEP CONNECTION?
Not getting the recommended
seven to eight hours of nightly
sleep can spark inflammation,
perhaps because being sleep-
deprived can change hormone
levels and stress the immune
system over time. Sleep quality
matters as well: A new
National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute–funded study
shows that over time, mice
with disrupted sleep produce
more inflammatory cells and
larger fatty deposits, which
can lead to hardened arteries.
A separate study shows that
women who have trouble
falling or staying asleep have
more inf lammation.
IS OCCASIONAL
INSOMNIA A PROBLEM?
One night of bad sleep (or
even a few) won’t have a lasting
inflammatory effect, but if
you find yourself deficient on
a regular basis, be sure to
talk to your doctor so she can
provide tips on how to improve
your slumber.
SOURCES: Nehal N. Mehta, M.D., chief, Lab of Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, NHLBI; Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, M.D., chief, Social Determinants of Obesity
O and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory Division of Intramural Research, NHLBI; Michael Twery, Ph.D., director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, NHLBI.
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