New research out of Ireland has found a link between poor quality sleep and increased stroke risk. In fact, snoring, tossing and turning, and getting too little sleep – or even too much – can increase your risk of stroke five-fold.
“The study is not surprising, and it echoes earlier research that found getting too little sleep for even a single night results in elevated blood pressure for people with existing hypertension,” said Jose J. Puangco, M.D., of Hoag’s Judy & Richard Voltmer Sleep Disorders Center. “Sleep is as necessary for life as food and water. When we lose sight of that, we delegitimize the importance of sleep and set ourselves up for chronic illnesses, accidents and a pretty miserable existence.”
Is Dr. Puangco suggesting you can sleep your way to good health? Kinda.
“By reducing risk factors such as inflammation and poor metabolism, good sleep can help you hit snooze on stroke, heart disease and other conditions,” he said.
So, how can you get those good-for-you z’s? First, contact your doctor. Your primary care doctor can help set you on the path to good sleep, www.hoag.org.
Next, follow some advice from Dr. Puangco:
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Practice Good Sleep Hygiene. Stick to a set bedtime and bedtime routine. Prioritize getting seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, and waking up at the same time every day – even on weekends. “Getting a good night’s sleep begins the moment you wake up, by planning out your day, including your caffeine consumption, your exercise routine and your diet, to ensure that you are ready to sleep well at night,” Dr. Puangco said.
Get a Room. “Your bedroom should be used for sleeping and intimacy only,” Dr. Puangco said. You might work from home, but you shouldn’t work from bed. (Nor should you doom scroll, binge watch or even read in bed.) Avoiding technology in the bedroom teaches your brain that your room is your sleep sanctuary. Maintaining a cool room temperature and making sure your room is dark also help promote good sleep.
Lights Off. Light from TVs and other screens suppress melatonin and affect the quality of your sleep. “At a minimum, try to avoid screens for an hour before bed,” Dr. Puangco said. “Exposure to blue light from our computer screens, TVs and phones have a profound effect on our circadian rhythms, or internal clocks, delaying the onset of sleep. Ideally, we should avoid blue light for at least a half hour before bed. Unfortunately, too many of us are powering up our devices when our bodies should be powering down for the night.”
