When you cannot sleep with quality and regularly, spending hours of insomnia, a cascade of biological changes is set in motion that can seriously affect your health.
The problem is, of course, that many people do not intentionally neglect to sleep well, but simply cannot fall asleep or stay asleep once they do, and this, unfortunately, increases the risk of developing serious chronic diseases.
Difficult-to-treat hypertension related to insomnia
In a study presented by the 2012 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, researchers found a strong relationship between sleep quality and a type of hypertension known as Resistant Hypertension, which does not respond to typical drug-based treatments.
In fact, women with resistant hypertension were five times more likely to have poor quality sleep as well. While the median duration of sleep in this study was just 6.4 hours per night (and nearly half slept less than six hours each night), it was the quality of sleep, not the quantity, that appears to influence the risk of hypertension.
Although this study only found an association with women, other studies have also linked hypertension in men to poor sleep, and less than seven hours of sleep a night has been linked to hypertension in men and women.
Even partial sleep deprivation affects your health and weight
If you sleep less than six hours a night, what is defined as " partial sleep deprivation," can not only increase your risk of high blood pressure, but also obesity.
New research has found that partial sleep deprivation is associated with obesity and alters food consumption by disrupting key hormones involved in metabolism and appetite regulation.
" Reduced sleep can alter the hormonal regulation of appetite, specifically increasing ghrelin [a hormone that triggers hunger] and decreasing leptin [the hormone that tells the brain that it is full] and therefore influencing intake. of energy. Increased wakefulness can also promote bouts of food consumption and energy imbalance,” the researchers said.
The reduction in insulin sensitivity was observed among sleep-deprived subjects, and this not only increases the risk of diabetes, but also of high blood pressure.
It can also cause diabetes
The same factors that because diabetes can also cause high blood pressure
Lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the early stages of diabetes. Indeed, it has long been known that sleep deprivation increases the risk of diabetes, so it is not surprising that it also increases the risk of high blood pressure, because both are caused by essentially the same factors.
High blood pressure, like diabetes, is generally related to your body developing insulin resistance. As your insulin level increases, your blood pressure increases. Most doctors - even cardiologists - don't understand the crucial connection between blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and insulin.
How to reduce high blood pressure and the risk of diabetes
More than 85 percent of those with hypertension can normalize their blood pressure with some basic lifestyle modifications. These tips work to lower your risk of diabetes, too:
Normalize insulin levels by avoiding sugar, fructose and grains: If your blood pressure is high and you consume a lot of sugar - especially in the form of fructose (such as high fructose corn syrup) - lower your blood pressure can be as simple as cutting out all forms of sugar and grains from your diet. Normalizing your blood glucose levels will normalize your insulin and lower your blood
pressure to a healthy level. It is advisable to keep your total fructose intake below 25 grams per day or as low as 15 grams if you have high blood pressure, are overweight, or have diabetes.
Unlike glucose, which is burned for energy in every cell of your body, fructose, while not immediately consumed for energy, is metabolized into fat by the liver, which can establish insulin resistance and diabetes. type 2. It is recommended to get a fasting insulin level test, which should be ordered by your doctor. The level you want to eliminate is approximately 2 to 3. If it
is higher than 5, then you have a problem and you definitely need to get your insulin level down as you run the risk of cardiovascular problems.
1. Use exercise as a medicine
Physical activity is by far one of the most powerful "medicines" out there, especially because of the increased sensitivity of blood glucose and the normalization of blood pressure levels. Comprehensive physical conditioning that includes high-
intensity interval activity called Peak Fitness, stretching, and resistance exercises, which are important components of a wellness program.
2. Follow a proper nutrition plan that suits your body
It should be rich in fresh organic vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, if you eat dairy that is raw and organic, eggs from free range chickens, grass-fed meats, healthy fats like coconut oil and Omega-3s, and lots of water pure fresh.
3. Optimize your vitamin D levels
Sunlight and vitamin D cause your body to produce, they have a normalizing effect on blood pressure. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
The best source of vitamin D is direct exposure to the sun. But for many of us, this is simply not practical during the winter and fall months. If neither natural nor artificial sunlight is an option, then using oral vitamin D3 supplements is your best bet. The only way to know the optimal dose is to get a blood test. Ideally, you want to maintain a vitamin D level of 50-70 ng / ml throughout the year.
4. Manage your stress
Stress puts the "strain" on hypertension. Long-term activation of your stress response system can affect almost every process in your body, and high blood pressure is one of many negative effects. Finding a way to deal with stressors in daily life is a must for good health.
Lack of sleep increases injuries in adolescents
If you're a sports teenager (or the parent of one), here's one more reason to make sure you get a good night's sleep. Teen athletes who slept eight hours or more each night were 68 percent less likely to be injured than those who slept less, according to a study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Exhibition Conference.
Perhaps these teens are simply more alert on the field than their less rested peers, or perhaps there are other sleep role plays to help protect your body from harm. Either way, teens are notorious for staying up very late or falling asleep while watching TV or using a computer, which can interfere with their quality of sleep.
However, on average, children and adolescents need more sleep than adults. Making sure your child learns healthy sleep habits early on is important not only for injury prevention, but also for preventing chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes in the future.
Top tips for healthy sleep
Making a few adjustments to your sleeping area can also go a long way toward ensuring an interrupted and restful sleep. It starts with this:
1. Cover your windows with blackout curtains to ensure complete darkness
Even the tiniest light in the room can disrupt the pineal gland's production of melatonin and melatonin's precursor serotonin, thereby disrupting the sleep cycle.
So close your bedroom door, get rid of night lights, and refrain from turning on any lights at night, even when you get up to go to the bathroom. If you must use a light, install blue low-light bulbs in your bedroom and bathroom. These emit an amber light that does not suppress melatonin production.
2. Maintain the temperature of your bedroom
The proper temperature in the bedroom should be below - or in - 70 degrees F (21 ° C). Many people keep their homes and in particular their second floor rooms too hot. Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 and 68 degrees F (15.5 to 20 degrees C). Keeping your room cooler or warmer can cause restless sleep.
3. Look in your bedroom for electromagnetic fields (EMF)
These can also disrupt your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin, and can have other negative effects. To do this, you need a gauss meter . You can find different models online. Some experts even recommend turning off the entire circuit before bed to remove all the power in your home.
4. Remove electrical devices from your side
If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least one meter away.
5. Reduce the use of light-emitting technology
It is necessary to sleep in a room where devices such as TV, iPad, and computer are far away or turned off before going to bed. These emit the kind of light that suppress the production of melatonin, which in turn hinders your ability to fall asleep, as well as the impact of cancer risk (melatonin helps suppress free radicals in the body and decreases the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer).
Ideally, you want to turn off all of those light-emitting devices at least an hour before bedtime.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.