You may think you’re doing everything you need to do to prevent heart disease—eating healthily, exercising, and managing blood pressure—and yet missing an important risk factor.
This happens during sleep, but there are simple ways to fix the problem.
The key is to take a good look at your room.
Heart Health Tip of the Day: Avoid Light Exposure While Sleeping
Nighttime light exposure while people sleep is linked to “adverse cardiac remodeling,” or changes in the shape and function of the heart that are typically seen in chronic stress or injury, researchers told the European Society of Cardiology.
“It’s our body’s way of adapting to this stress, but ultimately it weakens the heart and can lead to heart failure,” Dr. Lu Qi, a professor at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said in a statement. He is co-author of a recent study on the subject.
“Light pollution has become a new risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,” he added.
The link between nighttime light and cardiovascular disease has long been overlooked, said doctors at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Why it matters
High nighttime light exposure was linked to a “functional decline” of the heart, particularly thickening of the left ventricle wall, which reduced the space inside that chamber, Qi and colleagues reported in a study published in the European Heart Journal.
The heart muscle’s ability to flex during a heartbeat appears to be reduced, which is an “early indicator of cardiac dysfunction,” the European Society of Cardiology noted.
The right ventricles and left atria of the heart also showed changes.
The findings are based on data from more than 11,000 people who wore a sensor on their wrist for seven nights to determine how much light they were typically exposed to while sleeping, then underwent a cardiac MRI three years later.
Artificial light at night is a “biologically active environmental stressor” that suppresses melatonin, disrupts sleep cycles, alters metabolic and inflammatory rhythms, and “ultimately affects almost all cardiovascular cell types,” the researchers wrote in an accompanying editorial.
“The light in our rooms deserves to be considered as a cardiovascular risk factor, in the same way as smoking, hypertension and a sedentary lifestyle,” they warn. “Darkness deserves to be recognized as a vital sign, as essential to cardiovascular health as blood pressure control and clean air. »
How to get started
Make sure you sleep in the dark to protect your heart. Close the blinds and turn off all lights and electroluminescent electronic devices.
If there is still light, consider equipping the room with blackout curtains or wearing an eye mask. This can be especially important if you work night shifts and need to sleep during the day.
“Reducing nighttime light exposure should be considered as one of the potential strategies for preventing heart disease,” Qi said.
Today’s expert advice TODAY The series is about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental well-being and much more.
Gn Health
