So the heart of the matter is always a matter of the heart. And when it comes to our physical health, no words can emphasize enough how vital a healthy heart is. Too many people do not take proper sleep seriously, but lack of sleep can effect our heart too.
During proper sleep, we have different cycles of brain waves. There are times when the brain is less active and times when it is much more active, like with REM sleep cycles. Listen to what this article I read says about how vital having these varied cycles is: during our non-REM sleep cycles, we are supposed to experience what they call “nocturnal dipping” where our blood pressure actually decreases for a time at night. This relieves some of the stress on our hearts that occurs throughout our waking hours. When we do not sleep right, we might have times where the blood pressure does NOT dip. This can lead to higher blood pressure during the day, which can also lead to a higher risk of stroke and heart attacks, as well as kidney issues and reduced blood flow to the brain, like we talked about yesterday.
Good sleep is vital for a healthy heart, a healthy brain and a healthy body. Let’s all decide to work on our sleep hygiene and reap the great benefits to our overall health.
<>< Peace, Diane