Sleep Deprivation and Heart Disease
A 2011 study by the American Heart Association found poor quality sleep to increase high blood pressure risk, which can then lead to heart disease.
I had the pleasure of collaborating with leading alternative health expert Bryce Wylde. Bryce Wylde is a highly knowledgeable and respected natural healthcare clinician whose specialty is homeopathy, clinical nutrition, supplementation, and botanical medicine and whose focus is routed within functional medicine.
In this three-part series, Bryce shares information ranging from the connection between sleep deprivation and heart disease to the diagnosis of sleep apnea and the impact of snoring, as well as steps you can take to ensure a quality nights sleep.
Sleep deprivation
Sleep is measured physiologically by electrical changes in the brain. Sleep is quantified in the amount of time spent in or out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The duration from the beginning of non-REM to the end of REM is an important aspect of your sleep pattern. This is referred to as sleep architecture. Sleep architecture varies widely across species, and is thought to be significantly influenced by genetics. But no matter your eye or hair color, or where you’re from, you’ve heard of the general importance of 7-8 hours for optimal health. There is a reason for that. For optimal sleep, it is necessary to experience full and uninterrupted sleep cycles. It takes the average person about 90 mins to get through one full sleep cycle. Sleep research has concluded that we need 4-6 cycles per night to feel our best. Do the simple math and we need 7-8 hours. But accomplishing optimal sleep isn’t as easy as clocking 8 hours on your pillow.
Science has previously shown that those of us who are regularly sleep deprived or have interrupted sleep – especially those of us who snore – are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and narrowed blood vessels. Each of these can decrease blood flow inside the brain. Brain cells require ample oxygen and sugar. Without ideal blood flow to the brain this will affect its ability to work properly and recall information. To boot, during sleep you can strengthen memories and practice skills you learned while awake in a “virtual” environment.
Sleep deprivation, inflammation, and heart disease
