Another reason to get enough sleep--it's good for your heart
February 10, 2009 - 11:57pm
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I was reading my Google health alerts tonight from this week and once again, an article talks about yet another way that sleep can help our bodies. This article: http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=1331 links sleep to a healthy heart.
I've always known that sleep is when our bodies grow when we are younger, and when we repair damage and strengthen our immune systems, but I honestly never realized it could be related to heart health as well. Other conditions are also mentioned, like diabetes. It's just amazing to me how even now we are learning just how important sleep is.
Did any of you have a heart issue that you felt was either impacted by not enough sleep or helped by getting more?
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Michelle, I am one of those who has experienced first hand one of the side effects of sleep depravation. The fatigue experienced after a couple of consecutive days without at least 7 hours of sleep translates into irregular heart beats. I can tell very clearly when my heart is unhappy. Magnesium helps me relax from an stressful day and also has a sedative effect, so I take this often to repair my body from damage caused by lack of sleep. With that said, I am going to sleep right after I am finished posting this...
I suffer from insomnia and when I go through a bad phase of sleeplessness, I absolutely feel my heart beat is more rapid and my pulse races. I will sometimes, also, literally skip a beat.
Once the phase ends, my heart returns to a regular beat.
It's amazing how important sleep is and how the body and mind is affected so negatively when we're sleep deprived.
Thank you for the SHARE!
Michelle, I don't have a heart condition, but definitely notice some irregularity when I don't get enough sleep -- I can feel my heart beating when I lie down. The sensation is brief, but noticeable and I never experience this otherwise.
And Virginia, I can't believe you were up until 2 in the morning!
haha - I get up at around 4:30-5 am every morning, but don't usually don't get to bed until around midnight. Not good.
Like Tina, I notice a little irregularity in my heartbeat and thought it was due to lack of sleep. Last summer, I even had to go through a battery of tests to see if there was a physiological cause for the arrhythmia. Nothing.
Speaking of diabetes, although it doesn't run in my family, I've been concerned that I might be a borderline diabetic because of the weight issues that have been plaguing me of late. Combined with the chronic insomnia and unexplained arrhythmia, what's a poor girl to think!