CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/28/19

Sleep well for a healthy heart

By Barbara Worley

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in one out of every four deaths. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents, like me, spread the word year around about how to help keep your heart healthy.

Well-known tips include maintaining a diet low in saturated fat and sodium, getting enough physical activity and eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Many people do not fully realize, however, the importance of getting enough sleep to your heart's health.

Sleep is your body’s way of restoring itself. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most Americans need at least seven hours of sleep a night. Research has shown that those who get less than the recommended seven to nine hours are more prone to chronic disease conditions, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. 

The CDC reports 31.4 percent of adults in Georgia are obese and 34.4 percent are overweight. Being obese or overweight contributes to the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

Not getting enough sleep can lead to unhealthy weight gain resulting in obesity. Some studies have shown that lack of sleep may affect a part of the brain that controls hunger. Also, sleep-deprived people may be too tired to exercise, which results in being less physically activity. Furthermore, there are opportunities to consume more calories when one is awake longer, and temptations from technology and television can trigger overeating.

Type 2 diabetes causes sugar (glucose) to build up in the blood, eventually damaging blood vessels and leading to other serious health problems, such as heart disease. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar in the body’s cells be used as energy.

However, in Type 2 diabetics, these cells do not respond normally to insulin  –  they are insulin resistant. The pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Eventually the pancreas cannot keep up, resulting in high blood sugar (blood glucose) levels. 

Stress and lack of sleep also have been proven to make blood glucose management difficult. Some studies show that getting the recommended number of hours of sleep may help people improve blood sugar control, particularly when measuring A1c levels.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the leading risks for heart disease and stroke. Approximately 75 million Americans — one in three adults — have high blood pressure.  Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries which carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day, based on various factors including stress and diet. When blood pressure stays high for extended periods of time, damage can occur. When you are asleep, your blood pressure decreases. Difficulty sleeping can lead to blood pressure staying higher for longer periods of time.

All three of these chronic conditions are interrelated. Obesity is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, and heart disease is the leading cause of early death among people with diabetes. Nearly 75 percent of people with diabetes have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. 

This is information you can sleep on.

For more information on home, health, nutrition and food safety, contact your local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.

Authors:
Barbara Worley
Experts/Sources:
Barbara Worley
Getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night can help reduce your risks of becoming obese, becoming diabetic and having heart issues, studies say.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
UGA Extension offers mindfulness and skills training to help the incarcerated reclaim their hope. CAES News
UGA Extension offers training to help the incarcerated reclaim their hope 09/30/24 Cal Powell
A train rumbles through the heart of downtown Tennille, Georgia. The southbound train cars are loaded with kaolin, the white clay that serves as the city’s main export. Avery Franklin sets his leaf blower on the ground, takes a seat on a park bench under a pecan tree and begins telling his story. He was 19 years old the first time he went to jail. He’s 63 now, released four months ago after a lifetime of petty crime. He’s sitting 3 miles from the Washington County, Georgia, jail cell where he spent most of the last three years of his life.
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state. CAES News
UGA sponsoring radon poster contest for Georgia students 09/13/24 Rebecca Cantrell
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service offices across the state. Radon comes from the breakdown of uranium in granite and rocky soils, so Georgia’s wealth of granite bedrock increases the chance of household radon for its residents.
A new UGA study found that individuals 65 and older are more than more than 10 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than people in the 18-to-24-year age bracket. (Getty Images) CAES News
Type 2 diabetes increased by almost 20% over a decade 08/22/24 Leigh Hataway
Type 2 diabetes increased by almost 20% between 2012 and 2022, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. The researchers found an increase in diabetes among all sociodemographic groups. But non-Hispanic Black people were particularly hard hit by the disease, with just under 16% of Black study participants reporting being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. More than 1 in 5 individuals aged 65 or older had the condition.
For some students, heading back to school feels like entering a pressure cooker. Parents can ease anxieties by helping their students develop strategies for handling stressful situations. CAES News
Families should make a plan to manage back-to-school stress 07/29/24 Merritt Melancon
As summer draws to an end, both students and parents need to prepare for the return to school. While a new backpack and a collection of notebooks and pens might top their to-do list, students also need to prepare emotionally, said Diane Bales, a human development specialist for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and a professor of human development and family science in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Coastal Acres CAES News
AgrAbility program offers a Georgia farm family a new path forward 07/03/24 Jordan Powers
When a half-ton bale of hay fell off a wagon in 2019, striking the back of Donald Adams’ head, the future of his family farm fell into immediate uncertainty. More than 200 head of cattle are worked on the land at Coastal Acres, a Dearing, Georgia, operation that involves intense manual labor. “Donald sustained a C5-C6 spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the neck down,” said Laura Adams, Adams’ wife and co-owner of Coastal Acres.
A Master Gardener with UGA Extension teaches a class at the GROWL Fulton County Demonstration and Teaching Garden. (Submitted photo) CAES News
Volunteers uplift statewide UGA Extension outreach programs 04/22/24 Sheri Dorn, Keri Gandy Hobbs
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension depends on thousands of volunteers who give generously to extend program impact and reach in support Extension missions. During Volunteer Appreciation Week April 21-28, UGA Extension celebrates the many volunteers who donate their time to facilitate 4-H, Master Gardener and Family and Consumer Sciences programming. Volunteers across Extension contributed over 324,200 hours in 2023, the equivalent of more than 155 full-time employees.