Risk of Heart Attacks Slashed Overnight!

Last night we all had the chance to sleep for an extra hour. Are you one of those people who rejoice at having that extra hour to snooze, or did you use it to cram something else into your day?

It may seem strange, but according to Mark Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, and Director of their Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory, this annual ‘experiment’ involving 1.5 billion people in the Northern Hemisphere, shows the rate of heart attacks plummet the day after the clocks go back. And the reverse is true, losing an hour in Spring causes a sharp rise in heart failure.

Losing sleep has other health consequences too. As well as increasing the risk of heart disease, those who don’t get enough shut-eye have an increased risk of cancer, dementia, and diabetes. Even the common cold is more likely to catch you if you are sleep deprived. Why? because losing sleep affects all of our main physiological systems; cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and metabolic.

You may think that you can get by on just a few hours of sleep a night, but Walker’s research has shown that the impact of having little sleep is there even if you don’t feel it. There are some lucky souls who can survive on about five hours or less a night because they have a specific gene. What are the chances of this being you? You are more likely to be struck by lightning!

So what should you do? Firstly make sleep a priority. Give yourself enough time to sleep. Back in 1940 people spent just under 9 hours in bed. Now the average is 6.5. And try the usual advice for improving sleep; go to bed and get up at the same time, reduce caffeine, turn off all electronic devices long before bedtime, take time to unwind, and make sure you sleep in a dark room. If none of that works? Why not try acupuncture? This is what some of my patients have to say………

“I was astonished. I slept right through. This is unheard of for me, I’d given up on sleeping all night.”

“Within a couple of visits my sleep pattern was restored & the quality of sleep was amazing! I went from awake every hour - sometimes for an hour at a time - to sleeping through to my alarm!”

“I had more hope than expectation that acupuncture could help with my life-long insomnia, having tried all sorts of other “remedies” and even resorting to sleeping tablets. I am, however, thrilled by the results and am sleeping so much better. The knock on effect in my general health is also noticeable. I have more energy, a clearer I head in the morning, and I hit the ground running!

Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker is published by Penguin Books