{"id":565930,"date":"2026-03-28T05:41:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T05:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/565930\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T05:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T05:41:19","slug":"extra-11-minutes-of-sleep-per-night-lowers-heart-attack-stroke-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/565930\/","title":{"rendered":"Extra 11 Minutes of Sleep Per Night Lowers Heart Attack, Stroke Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HikerShare on Pinterest<\/a>Simple lifestyle changes, such as getting a few extra minutes of sleep and exercise each day, can improve heart health. Ryan Tuttle\/StocksyResearchers say that small changes in sleep, diet, and exercise can have a substantial impact on heart health.They report that modest changes, such as 11 more minutes of sleep per night and 5 additional minutes of exercise per day, can lower the risk of serious cardiovascular events.Experts say the findings are encouraging for people who can only make small adjustments to their daily lifestyle routines.<\/p>\n

Making small improvements in how much you sleep, what you eat, and how much you exercise can significantly reduce your risk of heart health issues, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

Researchers report that people who get 11 more minutes of sleep, add 5 minutes of physical activity<\/a> to their daily routine, and eat a quarter-cup more vegetables per day can lower their risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, by 10%.<\/p>\n

They added that people who have an optimal combination of lifestyle behaviors that include 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night, 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and a moderate diet quality score have a 57% lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared to people with the least optimal health profile.<\/p>\n

They noted that their research was an observational study, so it cannot establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship between lifestyle habits and cardiovascular events. They recommended conducting intervention trials to confirm their findings.<\/p>\n

The researchers said their study could help people adopt simple lifestyle changes to improve heart health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe show that combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health,\u201d said Nicholas Koemel<\/a>, the lead study author and a research fellow and dietitian at the University of Sydney in Australia, in a press release<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very encouraging news because making a few small, combined changes is likely more achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with attempting major changes in a single behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this study, researchers examined data from more than 53,000 participants in the UK Biobank<\/a>. The median age of the subjects was 63 years and nearly 57% were male.<\/p>\n

The Biobank data on sleep and exercise was gathered from wearable technology such as smartwatches. The information on diet was gleaned from self-reports from participants and measured on a 10-item diet quality score.<\/p>\n

The researchers concluded that even \u201cmodest differences\u201d in combined behavior levels \u201cwere associated with meaningful reductions\u201d in the risks of major cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n

Experts who weren\u2019t involved in the study said the findings provide guidance for both individuals and medical professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an encouraging finding that reiterates the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle<\/a> in order to optimize our heart health,\u201d said Cheng-Han Chen<\/a>, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very encouraging study because it shows that even small lifestyle changes can have a meaningful impact on heart health,\u201d added Jennifer Wong<\/a>, MD, a cardiologist and medical director of noninvasive cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people feel overwhelmed by the idea of completely changing their habits, but this research suggests that small, consistent improvements can still reduce cardiovascular risk,\u201d she told Healthline. \u201cThese small changes help improve blood pressure<\/a>, metabolism, inflammation<\/a>, and overall heart function over time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The researchers noted that sleep, diet, and exercise are usually studied independently, but they said that these \u201cbehaviors are uniquely interdependent and have bidirectional impacts on one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers explained that \u201cpoor sleep can disrupt the normal neurotransmission of appetite hormones<\/a>, influencing food selection and driving an increase in total energy intake.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added that \u201cphysical activity may improve sleep quality<\/a>, while poor sleep may limit functional capacity due to fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiet quality is also interlinked, demonstrating a relationship with sleep onset and wake time as well as energy and regulation for normal physical activity,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n

Chen agreed that looking at all aspects of lifestyle behavior is a productive approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already know that physical activity level, diet quality, and sleep quality are all important factors influencing our risk of cardiovascular disease,\u201d he told Healthline. \u201cWhile most research studies examine each factor in isolation, it is likely that there are synergistic benefits to improving multiple lifestyle factors at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madeline Sterling<\/a>, MD, an internal medicine specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine, echoed these sentiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study offers an important step forward in terms of how we think about optimizing cardiovascular health,\u201d she told Healthline. \u201cIt offers a window into key behaviors \u2013 sleep, physical activity, and nutrition \u2013 and how these influence peoples\u2019 progression toward disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Heart Association (AHA) states<\/a> that more than 940,000 people in the United States die each year from cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

According to the AHA, heart disease kills more people in the United States than any other cause. The AHA reports that there are more heart disease deaths than from cancer and accidental deaths combined.<\/p>\n

Past research has noted other risk factors for heart disease.<\/p>\n

A 2025 study<\/a> reported that even occasional smoking can increase cardiovascular risks by 50%.<\/p>\n

A 2024 study<\/a> listed inflammatory diets high in red meat, white flour, and sugar as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

In a 2026 study<\/a>, researchers found that exposure to light during sleep is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n

The AHA\u2019s Life\u2019s Essential 8<\/a> guidelines list eight ways to maintain good heart health. The lifestyle behaviors range from diet to exercise to sleep to cholesterol control to blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n

In addition, experts say heart health is vital at every age.<\/p>\n

A 2025 study<\/a> reported that it\u2019s even more important for adults 18 to 30 years of age to develop heart-healthy lifestyles to help prevent cardiovascular disease later in life.<\/p>\n

Experts say there are many ways to help reduce heart disease risk.<\/p>\n

Chen said that some people can make major changes in their daily lifestyle while others may need a slower, more incremental approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile modest lifestyle changes do reduce cardiovascular risk, the study also showed that larger \u2018optimal\u2019 changes reduce risk even further,\u201d he said. \u201cFor people who may be intimidated or discouraged by having to make many large changes in their lifestyle at once, I would encourage them to start with \u2018baby steps,\u2019 as some improvement is better than none.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wong agreed. \u201cBigger lifestyle changes will generally lead to greater health benefits, but what\u2019s important here is that modest changes are still meaningful,\u201d she said. \u201cSmall changes are often more sustainable, and they can be the first step toward larger improvements in long-term heart health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice is to start small and stay consistent: Add a short daily walk, aim for slightly better sleep<\/a>, and try to include more vegetables<\/a> in your meals. Over time, these small habits build momentum and can significantly improve cardiovascular health,\u201d Wong continued.<\/p>\n

Sterling, who was the chair of an AHA committee that wrote a statement<\/a> on Life\u2019s Essential 8, follows a similar approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a primary care doctor, I like to talk to patients about their cardiovascular health in the context of their current conditions and risk factors, but also considering their priorities, life circumstances, family history, work, resources, and environment,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cNearly everyone can benefit from improving their health in some way and from lifestyle change. Small and steady progress across several behaviors can really make a difference,\u201d Sterling said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestSimple lifestyle changes, such as getting a few extra minutes of sleep and exercise each day,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-565930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}