March 6th

A new research has shown that people having difficulty drifting of to sleep are more likely to develop heart failure. 

www.express.co.uk

This is of great interest to me because my husband doesn't sleep well at all. He wanders around at night, checking windows, then climbing back into bed. When he drifts off, he thrashes about and speaks or yells warnings to potential attackers. I raised my hand in self-defense once when he was protecting me from an unseen witch coming through the wall above my head. He slapped so hard, he broke my ring-finger joint. So now, I wake him up—which causes him to remain awake for a longer period.

The report said that people who had trouble falling asleep and remaining asleep each night were three times more likely to develop heart failure than those who reported no trouble sleeping. Those who experienced substandard sleep that failed to leave them fully refreshed were also at risk. 

Over a period of eleven years, more than fifty thousand people were tested from all walks of life and with varying backgrounds. Check the full article here. Those who experienced poor sleep often developed the condition in which the heart fails to pump properly. The heart muscles may be too weak or too stiff to do their job properly. People with the condition may be increasingly breathless and exhausted.

www.bettersleep.org

The researchers say it is unclear exactly why poor sleep and heart failure are associated in this way. It's well known that getting enough sleep is vital for your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

 At this stage, the tests don't prove that poor sleepers will develop the condition. The good thing is it is a potentially treatable condition. The British Heart Foundation recommends that if lack of sleep is becoming a problem and affecting your daily life, you should have a chat with your GP.

And that's what my husband will do today when he visits his doctor. I'd rather have him alive and hitting (out at night[—removed for the sake of the cliché link]) than lose him to heart malfunction.

Italian proverb: Count your nights by stars, not shadows; count your life with smiles, not tears.