etting a good night’s rest also is essential for heart health. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently added sleep to its Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular health checklist.

Besides sleep, the other seven factors are:

• Diet (Updated with a new guide to assess diet quality)

• Physical activity

• Nicotine exposure (Updated to include e-cigarettes and vaping devices)

• Body mass index

• Blood lipids (Updated to monitor non-HDL cholesterol versus total cholesterol)

• Blood glucose (Updated to include the option of hemoglobin A1c testing for people with or without type 1 or type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.)

• Blood pressure

How much sleep is right for you?

The AHA says adults should ideally get 7-9 hours of sleep each day.

Children 5 and under should get 10-16 hours of sleep each 24 hours, while those 6-12 should be getting 9-12 hours.

Youth 13-18 should be getting 8-10 hours of shut-eye.

The National Institutes for Health notes sleep affects nearly our entire body, including growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

And the AHA’s latest research shows people with healthier sleep patterns better manage weight, blood pressure and their risk for type 2 diabetes.

“Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the U.S. and globally, but the good news is there are many things we can do to positively influence our heart health,” says Eric Elgin, MD, Chief of Cardiology with Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. “Taking control of your heart health is important and all of us at Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute are here to help you on your journey.”

Learning that something is wrong with your heart can be frightening. At LVPG Cardiology–Carbon, we’re dedicated to providing you with advanced cardiac care.

To make an appointment, please call 888-402-LVHN (5846).