New Research Ties Regular Sleep Schedules To Heart Health
And this mom is LOLing.
There should be a name for health and wellness guidance that is completely impossible for parents to follow. Here’s a great example: The American Heart Association (AHA) has released a statement based on new research that found a strong tie between a lack of consistent routine and poor heart health.
Specifically, people who didn’t listen to the natural needs of their body when it comes to sleeping, eating, and moving their body have higher rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Oh well.
The research centers on the importance of syncing to your circadian rhythm — the 24-hour cycle that your body (and the bodies of many animals) has adapted to over thousands of years of evolution. These rhythms, which are set partially by light exposure, let our bodies know when to sleep, eat, rest, and move our bodies.
Our hearts, metabolisms, body temperatures, and insulin sensitivity all run on these 24-hour cycles, just to name a few, the study says.
When we don’t listen to these rhythms, the AHA explains through research, it can lead to increased instances of excessive weight, type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
“To my knowledge, this is the first scientific statement to directly address the body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm and to link it with other recommendations, such as physical activity, sleep and dietary intake,” Collin Jeffrey Popp, Ph.D., told TODAY.
Certain professions that require odd hours, like nursing, trucking, or factory work, might have significantly more trouble syncing to their circadian rhythms. And some people may have slightly different rhythms than others — early birds and night owls.
Of course, when it comes to circadian health, it can be very difficult for parents to get things right. A mom who has to nurse a baby every three hours, no matter where the sun is, or a dad who has to exercise before the break of dawn because it’s the only time he has alone, can’t pay as much attention to their natural cycles.
But even if you are juggling kids, going through menopause, nursing, working odd hours, or generally affected by life as a mom, there are a few things tiny things that you can strive for, the statement explains.
A few tips it offers:
- Getting outside for even a few minutes in the morning to get natural light exposure can make a big difference;
- Staying away from bright lights late at night (especially blue lights);
- Getting to bed and waking up at around the same time is just as important as how long you sleep;
- Eating breakfast has been associated with healthier heart outcomes;
- Exercising early in the morning or in the afternoon is associated with establishing better circadian rhythms.
While it seems impossible to stick to a schedule — or find time for self-care — while raising kids, doing even a couple of things to keep to your circadian rhythm could mean you’re around for your kids and healthy for a lot longer.
