Insomnia Increases The Risk Of Stroke And Heart Attack

According to data from different studies, insomnia and lack of rest can lead to cardiovascular problems. In addition, women are generally the most affected.

Through our various articles, we have repeatedly discussed the negative effects of insomnia on our health, and the risks of stroke and heart attack.

This makes perfect sense. It is a problem that affects more and more people every day, despite the essential function that sleep has on our body.

During this time, the body rests and regenerates from all the fatigue accumulated during the day. Therefore, when we don’t sleep well, we suffer to a point that we don’t even suspect.

Although we are increasingly aware of the importance of taking care of ourselves, the competitiveness of our companies and the demands of our work force us to ignore certain aspects, such as sleep hygiene.

This idea is so ingrained that many people think of insomnia as not sleeping through the night. However, its extent is much larger.

In summary, it brings together all the phenomena that prevent you from resting during the night on a continuous basis. So every time this happens you are not recovering as you should.

Although its consequences are very varied, a recent study in China found that insomnia increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.

How insomnia has been shown to increase the risk of stroke and heart attack

To come to the conclusion that insomnia increases the risk of stroke and heart attack, 15 studies were carried out, involving the intervention of 160,798 participants.

During this period, 11,702 cases of cardiovascular or coronary events were detected. All had symptoms of insomnia during the study.

It is striking that this problem does not affect people who wake up before the alarm goes off.

It affects more those who have difficulty falling asleep or, if they do, do not do so continuously. As a result, their bodies suffer from a rest deficit which can lead to these types of problems.

Despite this, Qiao He, the study’s supervisor, says it is still difficult to determine the exact relationship between the two phenomena.

• However, on the other hand, we are certain that a lack of sleep affects the metabolism.
• As a result, blood pressure is altered, as are inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines. All are involved in cerebral or coronary infarction.

However, the risk of stroke and heart attack does not affect everyone the same.

• Women are more likely to be affected, among other things, because they are more prone to insomnia, due to hormonal changes and their response to stress.
• Therefore, we recommend that everyone, and especially women, pay attention to the quality of their sleep.

Tips for good sleep hygiene and the risk of stroke

Play sports to avoid the risk of stroke and heart attack

Exercise not only tires you out, but also secretes substances in the brain that prevent insomnia. It therefore reduces the risk of suffering from stroke and heart attack.

On the other hand, it reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Therefore, after a sport session, we find ourselves in a more positive state of mind and relax.

In addition, it increases self-esteem, as we go beyond our mental and physical limits and improve our figure.

Don’t go to bed without sleeping

Sometimes we make the mistake of going to bed when we think it’s the right time. But, this can become a problem if you are suffering from insomnia.

The pressure of having to sleep has the opposite effect, because we cause stress that way.

Have you ever found yourself unable to sleep because you had to wake up earlier than usual? Usually, we go to bed earlier than usual and the obsession with rest has the opposite effect.

Establish schedules to avoid the risk of stroke and heart attack

Everything we have explained in this article should not be confusing. Order is essential when it comes to sleep. The brain gets along very well with routine.

Once you’ve established a habit, it still works the same way.

• So, you will be surprised to be very active at nine in the evening and all of a sudden start yawning at ten in an unexplained way.
• Do the same for your alarm clock. However, take your time anyway.
• If you can’t sleep, get up and read something boring. This book that you could never finish for example.

Despite the research results, the good news is that insomnia has a solution. Thus, if you sleep well, the risk of stroke and heart attack will be lower.

That’s more than enough reason to start having good sleep hygiene, isn’t it?

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