Getting less than six hours of sleep a night doesn’t just leave you drowsy during the day – it can be doing some serious damage to your body. A new study finds that insufficient and poor sleep may increase your risk of heart disease.
The New York Times reports that researchers monitored the sleep habits of nearly 4,000 healthy men and women (average age: 46) over seven nights. After controlling for smoking, diabetes, cholesterol and other factors, they found that people who slept less than six hours were 27% more likely to be in the highest one-third for the amount of plaque in their arteries compared to those who slept seven to eight hours.
Studies like this demonstrate how small lifestyle changes – in this case, an extra hour or two of sleep – can make a big difference to your health. The MedBen WellLiving program encourages another beneficial change: Getting regular wellness exams and tests from your primary care provider.
WellLiving’s “family doctor first” emphasis on primary prevention promotes awareness of your population’s personal health while helping to prevent complications from unmanaged heart disease, in addition to detecting the onset of cancer and other chronic conditions.
Adding WellLiving to your health care plan is just one of the many ways MedBen can help you foster a healthier workplace. Get additional details by contacting Vice President of Sales & Marketing Brian Fargus at 888-627-8683 or bfargus@medben.com.