At the end of a busy day, your brain and body need a “debriefing” session to process, repair, and prepare for tomorrow. This debrief is what we call sleep, and for your cardiovascular system, it’s a daily, non-negotiable meeting. Skipping it or cutting it short has serious repercussions for your heart’s performance and longevity.
The first item on the agenda is a system-wide pressure reduction. During this meeting, your body is programmed to lower blood pressure and heart rate, giving the entire network of arteries and the heart muscle a much-needed break. Missing this part of the debrief leads to chronic overtime and burnout, also known as hypertension.
Next on the agenda is damage control and repair. Sleep is when your internal maintenance crew gets to work, repairing the lining of your blood vessels, clearing out inflammatory debris, and mending the micro-tears in the heart muscle. Without this session, damage accumulates, leading to hardened arteries and a weakened heart.
The final agenda item is resource management. This meeting is crucial for balancing the hormones that control your energy, appetite, and stress. A proper debrief ensures you wake up with regulated blood sugar and a healthy appetite. Treat your sleep like the critical meeting it is: schedule it, protect it from interruptions, and show up on time every night.
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