If your first thoughts about heart health are eating better, getting your steps, and hitting the gym, you're not wrong – those habits absolutely matter. But there's one piece that often gets pushed aside: sleep.
Sleep can feel optional. Late nights bleed into early mornings, and "I'll catch up later" becomes the default plan. The issue is, sleep doesn't really work like that. When short or inconsistent sleep turns into your normal routine, it quietly ramps up stress levels, tanks your energy, and makes it way harder to stick with those healthy habits. Over time, that takes a real toll on your heart.
If you've been running on fumes for a while, consider this your gentle (but serious) nudge to pay attention.
The Problem with Poor Sleep
You already know how brutal everything feels after a rough night: patience wears thin, focus drifts, and even small tasks feel like a slog. That's because sleep helps regulate how your body handles stress and recovers from the day.
When sleep gets consistently cut short, your stress response stays revved up longer than it should. Energy crashes. Motivation to eat well, exercise, or manage stress often disappears. And more importantly for your heart, the risk of cardiovascular disease climbs.
A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people sleeping less than 6 hours per night were significantly more likely to show early signs of plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) in their arteries than those sleeping 7–8 hours, even after accounting for other risk factors.
Most experts recommend 7–9 hours of sleep per night for adults, but consistency matters just as much as quantity. Research from the American College of Cardiology and related studies shows that irregular sleep schedules – i.e., frequently shifting bedtimes and wake times – are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular events. Even if your total sleep hours look okay on paper, an erratic routine can still put extra strain on your body.
Sleep (including deep sleep) has become so key that the American Heart Association added it to its Life’s Essential 8, the updated framework of key lifestyle behaviors for cardiovascular health. This puts sleep right up there with nutrition, physical activity, and stress management.
How To Make Sleep a Priority
Supporting better sleep doesn't mean flipping your life upside down. Small, doable changes add up over time, like:
- Going to bed and waking up around the same time most days
- Cutting screen time in the hour before bed
- Making your bedroom darker, quieter, and cooler
- Winding down in the evening with something simple like stretching or reading
- Considering nutrients often used in nighttime routines, such as magnesium or Nu-Tek Nutrition's Sleep Formula, when it fits your needs
The Bigger Picture
Heart health isn't built on a single habit. Sleep, stress management, movement, and nutrition all connect and influence each other. When sleep gets better, the rest often feels a little easier to handle.
If sleep is the habit you've been sacrificing lately, let this be your friendly reminder: it's not "extra." Prioritizing rest actually supports the other healthy steps you're already taking and helps your body show up stronger, day after day.
You've got this. Start small, and your heart (and the rest of you) will thank you.
