Sleep This Much for Better Blood Pressure
This Week's Tips
Move the alarm ahead 1 hour on your bedside clock. Research shows that just 1 additional hour of sleep may be all you need to help reduce high blood pressure risk.
In fact, every additional hour of sleep you lose increases your risk of high blood pressure by 37 percent, according to a study of middle-aged adults.
Sick and Tired
Unfortunately, most people are losing ground when it comes to getting adequate shut-eye. In the 5-year study, over 40 percent of the participants got fewer than 6 hours of sleep per night. And only a paltry 1 percent averaged 8 or more hours nightly. That lack of sleep doesn't just leave your eyes bleary and your head cloudy. It puts all your body systems in a state of disarray. (Related: Use this checklist of bedtime do's and don'ts to help get more ZZZs.)
