Most of us think of stroke as of a sudden medical emergency that happen without warning. A person can go to bed feeling completely fine and then experience life-changing neurological issues just a few hours later.
According to cardiovascular experts, strokes are rarely the result of a single isolated incident. On the contrary, they are mostly a culmination of long-term health factors, systemic inflammation, and everyday lifestyle choices that help shape our vascular health over the years.
In this list of everyday decisions, our sleeping routine proves to be surprisingly significant. The things that we do right before sleep have an effect on our blood pressure, blood sugar level, and on the overnight recovery of our organism. The newest medical studies show how two rather popular nighttime habits can put extra stress on our heart and increase our risk of having a stroke.
Late night sugar and vascular damage
Consuming high-energy drinks containing sugar, such as soda, sweet tea, or juice, during the night, forces the body to cope with large intake of glucose. It comes during the period when the metabolism starts to slow down because the body prepares itself for sleep. Throughout the daytime, the activities we do help get rid of extra glucose in the body. However, during the night, there is no possibility to do so, and the burden is put onto the metabolism.
Repeated blood sugar peaks stimulate systemic inflammation and insulin resistance that have negative impact on the endothelial layer of the blood vessels. Once the blood vessel walls become inflamed and damaged, they start accumulating the plaque that may burst, leading to ischemic stroke.
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An extensive, 30-year long-term study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on the eating patterns of more than 100,000 people found that those who drank one or two soft drinks a day increased their risk of developing any form of heart disease by about 18 to 21 percent. Crucially, the data showed that the higher risk persisted even among those who engaged in physical activity and exercise.
The American Heart Association (AHA) issues a similar warning, that fluid sugar spikes directly contribute to the accumulation of visceral fat around vital organs and slowly weaken blood vessel walls, creating the exact arterial conditions that lead to restricted blood flow to the brain.
Disrupted sleep and the “blood pressure dip”
The other cardiovascular risk factor associated with our nighttime routine is the quality of sleep. Consuming caffeinated beverages or energy drinks, or even consuming alcohol before going to bed disrupts our sleep cycle and the deep sleep periods, adding more stress to the heart.
For many, having a glass or two of alcohol before going to bed is a way of relaxing and falling asleep easily. However, what many are not aware of are the downsides of consuming alcohol at this time of the day. This routine affect REM and deep sleep stages, leaving the cardiovascular system in a prolonged state of stress, just as with the caffeine and the energy drinks.
As noted in the data published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), good-quality, undisturbed sleep is important for a physiological process called “nighttime dipping.” When you sleep deeply, your blood pressure naturally falls by 10 to 20 percent. This drop helps your heart, arteries, and blood vessels to have some time to relax and recuperate from their daily activities.
