Over here at FitPerez.com, we can’t stress enough that sleep is extremely important to everyone’s overall health and happiness.
Like, the two things go hand in hand.
What we need most, it turns out, is that luscious, comfy, oh so good deep sleep:
Healthy young and middle-aged adults spend about 20% to 25% of their sleeping hours in the stages known as slow-wave sleep (so called because of the brain waves associated with it). This sleep phase is considered restorative and has been shown to be important for memory and mental performance.
The new study, which included 784 men over the age of 65, adds to the growing evidence that slow-wave sleep is also essential to our metabolism and heart health. Compared to men who spent at least 17% of their sleep time in the slow-wave phase, those who spent less than 4% in this restful state had 83% higher odds of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) years later, the study found.
Bummer!
So, things that could cause you to not get this deep sleep are disorders and stress. Disorders like sleep apnea or periodic leg movement.
That means if you think you have something, or just aren’t sure why you aren’t being rebooted over night, don’t hesitate to get it checked out. It could mean trouble down the road!
[Image via AP Images.]
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