Control Cholesterol with Sleep

When it comes to dealing with high cholesterol, diet and exercise habits come under scrutiny. However, the amount of sleep you get and your cholesterol level are also connected. To keep any heart disease at bay doctors claim proper sleep is just as important if not more.

Sleeping too much or too little has a harmful impact on lipid levels. Women who slept for five hours or less per night had a threefold raised risk of low HDL levels and high triglycerides. A similar result was seen in those who slept for 9 or more hours every night. Women were more sensitive to sleeping too much than men.

LDL cholesterol levels were high in people who slept too little. In all those who slept too little heart disease risk was higher. The researchers also found that snoring can occur when the good HDL cholesterol level becomes low.

Not getting enough sleep invariably leads to a decrease in physical activity and an increase in appetite for cholesterol-rich foods, and high stress levels. Young men showed less sensitivity to their sleep habits than young women.

The offshoot of insufficient sleep is mostly bad lifestyle choices that further contribute to high cholesterol levels. Some of the people with too much or too little sleep also engaged in other activities like poor diet, smoking, or less physical activity that might have heightened the risk.

 

What you can do:

• Sleep at least seven to eight hours according to your bodily need
• If you snore a lot or have any sleep problem, consult a doctor
• Avoid foods high in saturated fat like butter, red meat, cheese, and other full-fat dairy products
• Snack on foods like nuts, avocados, olive oil, and oats that have lower LDL cholesterol
• Exercise. Walk for at least 40 minutes or do some other exercise, three to four times a week. Any work out that gets your heart pumping and body moving.
• Adhere to a routine for a stress free-life and clock in enough sleep. Get an activity tracker watch if need be.

If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol levels it still is considered a good idea to go for an affordable mattress with Sunday with the right mattress topper and mattress protector.