The way you choose to start your morning impacts your whole day. And over time, the habits you form can have a major effect on your overall health—both good and bad. Whether it’s waking up early to get a killer workout in and shed pounds faster or eating a high-sugar meal to set you up for more cravings and overeating later in the day, your morning habits are crucial to wellbeing. This is especially true when it comes to the health of your heart.
To learn about some of the worst morning mistakes that could put you at risk of cardiovascular disease, we spoke to Dr. Nick West, a cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer & DVP of Global Medical Affairs of Abbott’s vascular business. He told us two habits you should avoid at all costs are loading your coffee up with sugar and sleeping either too much or two little. Read on to learn more!
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1. Too Much Sweetener In Your Coffee
There are several coffee habits that can cause damage to your heart health over time, but one of the worst things you can do is load your cup of joe up with sugar or sweetener every morning. "Increased dietary sugar consumption is known to increase risk of cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease (angina & heart attack) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke); although artificial sweeteners were developed as a healthier, lower calorie alternative to sugar, they appear to carry significant risks themselves in the development of the same conditions that are associated with high sugar intake," Dr. West warns. Overall, it's best to cut back on sugar and artificial sweeteners as much as possible. Unfortunately for those of us with a serious sweet tooth, that may mean taking your coffee black—or at least keeping your additives to a minimum.
2. Too Much Or Too Little Sleep
Whether you're hitting the snooze button one too many times or forcing yourself to wake up at the crack off dawn, Dr. West says the wrong amount of sleep can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. "Both a lack of sleep (<6 hours per night) and excess sleep (>9 hours) have been associated with increased risk in observational studies," he notes.
If you deprive yourself of sleep, he explains that you may run into the issue of hormonal and hemodynamic changes, along with inflammation. "These can result in the development of obesity/adverse body mass index, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure, all of which increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular death," he warns. Yikes!
For this reason, you should aim for around 6-9 hours of sleep each night. This is crucial to your health for a number of reasons—including when it comes to your heart.
