Just 11 extra minutes of sleep each night can reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Small lifestyle tweaks, including a longer lie-in, can cut risk of heart attacks
Making even small shifts in our daily routines, including about 4.5 minutes of brisk walking and an extra 50g of vegetables daily, could reduce the likelihood of major cardiovascular events by around 10%, according to research.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, analysed data from more than 53,000 middle-aged UK adults taking part in the Biobank study, tracking sleep, exercise and diet over an eight-year period.
Researchers recorded 2,034 major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, and identified simple, achievable behaviour changes that could significantly lower risk.
While the “optimal” combination of habits, including eight to nine hours of sleep and at least 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, reduced risk by 57%, experts said smaller adjustments were more realistic for most people.
Dr Nicholas Koemel, the study’s lead author and a research fellow at the University of Sydney, told the Guardian: “We show that combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health.
“This is very encouraging news because making a few small, combined changes is likely more achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with attempting major changes in a single behaviour.
“Making even modest shifts in our daily routines is likely to have cardiovascular benefits as well as create opportunities for further changes in the long run. I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine, no matter how small they may seem.”
Emily McGrath, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Many of us want to live healthier lives, but making changes can sometimes feel overwhelming or hard to fit into our busy routines. What’s encouraging about this study is that it shows those changes don’t need to be big to make a difference.