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Life Style & Management .
Sleep your way to a healthier heart
Bragging to friends that you have the ability to sleep only for
a few hoursevery night, and getting away with it is a stunt that
many youngsters pull o.One does not realise then, that a disturbed
circadian rhythm could actuallybe hazardous and even mortally
perilous.
One cannot stress enough, the irrevocable role sleep plays in an
individual'sgeneral health. Dr Vias !grawal, "#$ specialist and
sleep apnea surgeonreiterates, %&orldwide research has
suggested that insucient sleep couldlead to many lifestyle diseases
lie diabetes, obesity, coronary artery diseaseand heart attacs.
(resence of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleepapnea
increases the ris of cardiovascular disease. !lso, both short
durationand long duration of sleep has been associated with a
greater ris of dyingfrom coronary heart disease.%
)ndians are more prone to heart attacs*etting the right amount
of sleep and reducing unhealthy lifestylebehaviours is e+tremely
important for a healthy heart. Dr !garwal says,%)ndians are
genetically more prone to get heart disease, so maintaining
ahealthy lifestyle is more important for us.%
ac of sleep leads to coronary artery disease
*ood -uality sleep decreases heart rate and blood pressure, thus
decreasingwor of heart. Dr antosh /umar Dora, senior cardiologist
says, %ac ofsleep eeps the heart rate and blood pressure elevated.
Both are lined toincreased incidence of heart disease. ac of sleep
increases insulinresistance and the ris of type )) diabetes
mellitus and also increases 01reactive protein, a protein
associated with in2ammation. Both diabetes and01reactive protein
are associated with higher incidence of coronary
arterydisease.%
(ay attention to -uality of sleep $he -uality of your sleep
directly aects the -uality of your waing life,including your
productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality,and
even your weight. Dr #ilesh *autam, senior cardiologist says,
%leepisn't merely a time when your body shuts o. &hile you
rest, your brain staysbusy, overseeing a wide variety of biological
maintenance that eeps yourbody running in top condition, preparing
you for the day ahead.%
Duration of sleep is also important
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Of course, the saying '"arly to bed and early to rise' still
holds, but sleepspecialists state that it is not so much the time,
but the duration andregularity of sleep, that is
important.3elatonin is a hormone secreted appro+imately one hour
prior to sleep,which helps us sleep better. )f our sleep timings
are irregular, the melatonin
secretion is aected, which in turn disturbs our sleep.
4ealth problems due to incomplete sleep
0oronary artery disease, 4ypertension,Diabetes troe, (oor memory
andcognition "+cessive daytime sleepiness "+cessive fatigue,
lethargy andlac of motivation Obesity Depression 3oodiness and
irritability
5educed creativity and problem1solving sills )nability to cope
withstress 5educed immunity6 fre-uent colds and infections
0oncentration andmemory problems &eight gain )mpaired motor
sills and increased ris of
accident Diculty maing decisions
($....7 leep helps to repair your body. 8our body produces e+tra
proteinmolecules while you are sleeping that helps strengthen your
ability to 9ghtinfection and stay healthy. leep reduces stress. !
good night's sleep canhelp lower blood pressure and elevated levels
of stress hormones, which area natural result of today's fast paced
lifestyle. (roper sleep improves yourmemory.7 leep helps control
body weight issues7 )t reduces the occurrence of mood disordersD)D
8O: /#O&;
!ccording to a recent study report and 9ndings in )ndian
conte+t, urban)ndian spends more time at wor and less time for
sleep unlie a rural )ndian.3ore wor is typically related to
sedentary activity, unhealthy dietary habitand more smoing or
tobacco consumption. !ll these have resulted intomore incidence of
coronary artery disease and death in urban populationcompared to
rural population as evidenced by multiple studies.
$:D)" 4!V"
