In a recent study done by the University of Chicago Medical Center showed that getting more sleep may prevent future heart complications.
The study involved 495 subjects to be monitored by trackers that would feed information back to labs where the researchers can study sleep patterns. To this data they added data for other significant differences such as age, gender, race, smoking etc. and concluded that people who slept more than 7 hours a night had the lowest risk of artery calcification whereas those who slept under 5 hours a night had a much greater risk.
Artery calcification is a process where a person’s coronary arteries contain calcium deposits. Calcium inside of coronary arteries is a marker for diseased arteries and coronary heart disease accounts for 20% of US deaths.
So here is the final data,
About 12 percent of the people in the study developed artery calcification during the five-year study period. Among those who had slept less than five hours a night, 27 percent had developed artery calcification.
That dropped to 11 percent among those who slept five to seven hours, and to 6 percent among those who slept more than seven hours a night.
So to everyone out there, especially those who have a family history of heart disease, be sure to get your 7.5 hours a night.
Quick Tip #3 – No bright light before going to sleep
Our biological clocks are built to be awake with the sun and sleep in darkness. All the technology in recent years has thrown off our biological clocks. To remedy this situation, be sure to be in dim lighting 1/2 hour (or better yet, a full hour) before sleep. This means no TV or computer.
Although we may view naps as ways to catch up on lost sleep, how does it affect our sleep at night?
Some people swear that a nap gives them energy during the day and allows them sleep during the night. Others find that napping prevents them from sleeping at night. Naps can be extremely helpful or disadvantageous, depending on how we use them. Most people feel the need to nap the most 8 hours after waking up in the morning. We want to sleep at this time because our body temperature dips to its second lowest point, with the lowest being at night when it’s time to sleep.
A low body temperature allows a person to fall asleep faster and sleep better. People who have some sleeping disorders don’t have their body temperature drop to the same low level. That’s why it is recommended you keep your sleep room temperature at a cool 60 to 65 degrees.
So when is a nap okay? A short, 30 minute nap at around 2pm is optimal timing for regaining energy for the rest of the day. Sleeping longer than 30 minutes can bring you into a REM cycle and being awaken out of that phase will leave you even more tired. Do not take a nap past 4pm, your body temperature goes back up at this time.
If on the other hand you feel so exhausted and absolutely need a nap, sleep for 90 minutes (a full sleep cycle). This will give you more energy but may screw around with your night time sleep times.
If you find that you need a nap everyday, take it at the same time. Having a sleep schedule is what the body needs and taking naps at random times on random days will mess up your sleep cycle and prevent you from falling asleep at night.
To recap: Nap for 30 minutes at 2ish. If you find that this helps you get through the day, make it a habit. If you still feel exhausted after 30 minutes, do a complete 90 minute nap cycle but be prepared to be less tired when night comes.
Not feeling sleepy? Here are some common herbal teas to help your insomnia that you can find in any store that sells tea.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is created from the chamomile plant and is used as a relaxant. It gets its natural insomnia cure from the flavone Chrysin, which also occurs in passion fruit. For the best results, brew one cup and drink 45-60 minutes before sleep. This tea can also be drank throughout the say (will not make you sleepy and instead just helps you relax).
Sleepy Time Tea
If you go to your grocer’s herbal tea section, you are almost bound to find a tea that is specially made to drink right before you go to sleep. The main ingredient is chamomile but there are a handful of other herbs thrown in that will help you get to sleep.
Valerian Root Tea
This is more obscure and not something I have seen in my grocery store but instead can be found either online or some novelty stores. I haven’t used this but from what I’ve read online, a tea brewed from valerian root will help you get to sleep a lot faster.
