Bedroom Habit DOUBLES Risk of KILLER Condition
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted April 16, 2023
I don’t mean to alarm you.
Well, on second thought, maybe I do. Because being nervous just might motivate you to make changes that could save your life.
Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, doesn’t get much attention.
In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of this dangerous (and potentially deadly) condition.
But 10 percent of us are walking around with PAD, whether we know it or not. And if you are over 70, that percentage shoots up to 15.
New research has uncovered a “Hit the Hay” habit that could nearly DOUBLE your risk of developing this painful, killer condition.
PAD occurs when the blood vessels in your legs become clogged, much like what can happen in your heart.
The condition restricts blood flow in the legs. This often (but not always) leads to leg pain, aching, or heaviness, especially when walking.
But the pain isn’t the REAL problem. It’s that PAD can KILL.
You see, peripheral arterial disease has a nasty habit of releasing clots into the bloodstream. If those clots make it to your heart, you have a heart attack. If they go to your brain, you have a stroke.
But half of the folks who have PAD have NO CLUE that they do. That’s like walking around with a grenade without a pin in your pocket and not knowing it.
Lucky for us, a new study has revealed one of the BIGGEST risk factors for the condition. And it’s something that we can work on changing.
When researchers combed through 650,000 medical records, they spotted a clear link between PAD and poor sleep.
The study published in the European Heart Journal found that folks who slept less than five hours a night had a 74 percent increased risk of PAD. (No, that’s NOT a misprint!)
But sleeping too MUCH is a problem too.
People who slept over eight hours had a 24 percent increased risk.
This study reflects others I’ve reported on in the last few years for heart disease and dementia. Healthy sleep is obviously CRITICAL for good health.
But let’s face it, lying awake at night worrying about a 75 percent increased risk for PAD (or dementia or heart disease) will do NOTHING to help you sleep better. So instead, channel that fear into ACTION.
Put “get a good night’s sleep” near the top of your list of things you do to take care of yourself. According to the new study, the Goldilocks zone is about 7 hours of sleep every night.
Get started TONIGHT with my top tips for improving your sleep…
- Go to bed at the same time every night.
- Make your room TRULY dark. Remove electronic devices with lights on them and use blackout curtains if you live in an area with many outside lights.
- Get off your screens (ALL of them) at least an hour or more before hitting the hay. The light they emit can repress melatonin production and alter your sleep pattern.
- Exercise and move your body during the day. A good workout makes your body ready to rest at night.
- Replace some of your coffee with green tea as the day wears on. Green tea contains an amino acid called theanine that helps keep you calm and improves sleep.
- Melatonin is the best natural substance to get your circadian cycle back on track. You can produce more naturally by getting morning sunshine on your face, dimming your lights at night, and shutting down screens at least an hour before bed. Melatonin supplements are available too.
- Specific herbs can help reduce stress, calm you down, and prepare you to sleep. Ones I like include lemon balm, hops, passionflower, and chamomile.
Follow these tips and you could soon find yourself sleeping like a baby. And you’ll be slashing your risk for PAD (and related heart attacks and strokes) at the same time.
P.S. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found irregular sleep patterns are particularly harmful to THIS surprising organ. CLICK HERE for the whole story.
Source:
“Sleep duration, daytime napping, and risk of peripheral artery disease: multinational cohort and Mendelian randomization studies,” European Heart Journal Open, Volume 3, Issue 2, March 2023, oead008, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oead008
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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