As a general rule getting up early is thought to be a healthy habit, but new research says that may not necessarily be the case -- at least not when it comes to your heart anyway. A recent study that followed over 3,000 adults ranging in age from 23 to 90 yrs old found that those who got up early had a higher risk for cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and stroke.

It's important to realize also, though, that early risers are generally older, so it's possible that also has something to do with the increase in cardiovascular problems. Also, sleep deprivation is a proven heart risk factor, and obviously getting up early often means not getting enough sleep.

So the key may be that early to rise is fine, as long as it's early to bed also?

We often post tips and facts about having a healthy heart, but over at That's Fit, I think this post sums up what you need to do to have a healthy heart. Here's what they recommend:

• Get a good night's sleep
• Get active -- this especially includes resistance training
• Drink wine in moderation
• Eat fish, or some other source of Omega 3's
• Floss regularly
• Quit smoking
• Take a daily walk
• An aspirin a day can take the heart problems away -- but talk to your doctor first.
  

Whether or not you have heart problems, I think these are great suggestions that can make a healthy difference in your life and keep your ticker ticking for years to come. I especially like the wine bit. How about you?

I'll admit, I'm a fan of beer but I don't drink it that often because of the side effects (hangover), and also because I suspect it's damaging to your health -- or at least I assume anything that can cause that much of a headache the day after must be. But that's not so according to this. Beer is actually good for your heart and even your overall health. In a Dutch study, it was found to raise levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, reduce the occurrence of strokes in women, improve sleeping patterns, increase blood vessel dilation, slow down the development of cataracts, help prevent cancer and more! That's a pretty amazing array of benefits, don't you think?

Now I'm not saying you should throw a kegger and chug a dozen pints with your friends (as tempting as this sounds on the long weekend) but enjoying a few cold ones in moderation may actually be good for you. So drink up!

Sleep apnea is a big problem all by itself, but when you start complicating things by combining it with a pregnancy the health risks only compound. In a recent study that looked at 4 million women sleep apnea was tied to an increased risk for both gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.

This is one of those situations where prevention really is the best medicine. Maintaining a healthy weight (obesity is one of the greatest risk factors) and actively managing sleep apnea if you have it is key.

I usually tune in to CNN to find out what's going on in the world, not to find out what's going in inside my body. But, there are always exceptions. For example, I find the BBC news to sometimes be a more accurate/less filtered account of world events. By the same token, CNN does have some valuable health info. to offer up every once in a while. Case in point, a list of "9 Secrets to a Healthier Heart" published on the news giant's website.

Simple, easy-to-follow and just plain good, sound advice. That's what I like most about this list. Rather than reiterate all of the 9 secrets, I have instead decided to paraphrase a few I found to be most helpful:

#4) Try to consume more pomegranate juice. In addition to aiding in preventing hardening of the arteries, lowering bad cholesterol, pomegranate juice may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Try to find a 100% version of the juice, such s the very popular Pom -- which can be found in most supermarkets.

#6) Pointing to a research study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, the article sites the importance of laughter. Its healing power, if you will. Apparently, people who watched comedy films such as "There's Something About Mary" had better blood flow than those who watched dramas like "Saving Private Ryan."

#8) Relaxed, control breathing can help lower your blood pressure. The article suggests trying to take 10 breaths per minute rather than the average 16 to 19. By doing so, you can slow your body's excretion of salt, which, in turn, will help keep your blood pressure down.

As I said, these are simple and effective strategies to help keep your heart healthy. To read all 9, click HERE.

As a follow-up to my recent post on the importance of sleep ("You snooze, you win"), I wanted to further explain the blood pressure related study that was referenced, as I think it certainly bears doing so.

The aforementioned sleep study at Columbia University involved the examination of survey data on 4,810 people (excluding those who were overweight or suffered from sleep disorders) and found that those who slept less than 5 hours a night increased blood pressure by an average of 60 percent.

Sleep deprivation -- and, whether you agree or not, getting less than five hours of sleep is classified as being sleep deprived -- stimulates stress hormones, which cause spikes in blood pressure. Now, if you start missing sleep regularly, that's when the more long-term problems with blood pressure begin, as it may lead to lasting damage to heart valves.

But, what about people who try to sleep but simply can't? Their minds are whirring, they toss and turn in the bed, and before they know it, it's 3:00 in the morning. Doctors suggest engaging in an evening exercise program. Once completed, your body's core temperature will be lower, and you will feel physically taxed from the workout. Next Stop: The Land of Nod. Population: A healthier You.

Maintaining a healthy heart involves a three-prong approach: Eating right, exercising regularly, and (here's the lesser known part) getting adequate amounts of sleep. Then again, maybe the importance of sleep is more widely known than I realize. For one, it has been shown that countries that have regular "siesta" times in the middle of the day tend to have lower rates of heart disease. And, there is plenty of research that suggests that not sleeping enough can lead to weight gain -- which, in turn, will also affect the heart. Okay, I stand corrected. Nevertheless, sleeping remains an important aspect of staying healthy.

How important? Thanks for asking (I was really struggling for a segue). It seems very important, as evidenced by the results of a 16-year study at Harvard in which scientists found that people who sleep for 5 hours or less a night were 32 percent more likely to gain weight than those who were able to get at least 7 hours. And, on top of that, a study out of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows evidence that a lack of solid sleep can increase one's risk of developing high blood pressure.

So, as you read this blog and become bored with some stats about how much more fat is burned during a session of rowing than biking (about 40 to 50 percent more), or the amount of calories in a Nacho Bell Grande/Cinnamon Twist/Large Pepsi lunch from Taco Bell (1,230), feel free to take a nap. It may help your heart just as much as the other two prongs.

I feel like garbage right now. My nose is running, my throat is sore, and a general malaise has taken control of my body like it has a point to prove. Cold season is here, and I have officially fallen victim. The remedy? Who knows, really. Chicken soup, echinacea, vitamin C, rest. Wait, what was that last one? Rest. Yes, now that one, that one seems to actually work. Well, it turns out that getting adequate rest, particularly taking regular naps, can do far more than just expedite the duration of your cold. In fact, researchers from Greece have found that taking a regular "siesta" may help markedly reduce one's chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

In a six-year study of over 24,000 Greek adults, researchers from the University of Athens Medical School found that those who took regular, mid-day naps lowered their chances of heart disease by more than a third. Unlike previous studies on the benefits of napping, this study was the first to control for outside variables (i.e. smoking, diet, exercise). All subjects studied entered into the research process with a clean bill of health, thereby ruling out the chances that their development -- of lack of development -- of heart disease was or was not caused to factors outside of napping.

The researchers believe that by taking regular naps, adults are able to reduce much of their workday stress. This belief is supported by the supplementary discovery that employed men seem to benefit more from naps than do unemployed men -- suggesting a link between workplace stress and sleep-induced stress reduction.

Whatever. I feel like crap. I'm going back to bed. Let the healing begin.

The latest reports have us informed of the links between obesity and sleep loss -- which could end up being a factor for heart disease later in life. Sleep is something everyone needs to realize is much more important than we give credit to -- especially women who are particularly prone to heart disease later in life, without appropriate lifestyle prevention measures.

Lo and behold, over half of American mothers don't get enough sleep. A recent survey revealed full-time working moms get the least sleep -- six hours on a good night. Stay-at-home moms only fare about 10 percent better -- 48 percent reported inadequate amounts of sleep. Stress can lead to insomnia, especially if moms lying in bed unable to sleep are obsessing over money, time, tasks, and family issues.

Moms surveyed said they felt they would be better parents -- and happier people -- if they got more rest. Experts recommend moms follow a strict sleep routine for themselves -- hopefully just as they would for their own child. Try going to bed at a regularly scheduled time, read yourself a story and tuck yourself into your calm, comfortable sleeping place.

A recent study reports that sleep training can help improve childrens sleeping habits -- especially for the ones who whine or stall with snack, drink or story requests at bed-time. While we learn many of our adulthood health patterns early on in childhood and adolescence -- couldn't we, as adults with terrible sleeping patterns benefit from a little sleep training ourselves? Lack of adequate sleep has been linked to higher stress and appetites, both of which over time can contribute to the development of heart disease. Let's see if the strategies could work for us, too.

When waking up in the middle of the night, try self-soothing yourself back to sleep. Try quiet bedtime rituals, like a warm bath or a good book -- at the same time every night in a room that's just for sleeping (or at least turn off the TV). And while the extinction method may not seem applicable -- where parents refrain from responding to a childs temper tantrums when the sheets come up and the lights go out -- perhaps there is a chatty, anxious little person in your head that needs to be ignored so you can rest peacefully.

One-third of American children are overweight (which may mean obese, depending on who you're talking to). Cardiovascular disease is striking sooner and sooner -- particularly overweight males who are found to have greater incidences of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes at age 11. Who is feeding these kids?

Addressed in a special issue of the Journal of CardioMetabolic Syndrome, the facts on the early onset of adult diseases in children has as yet received little attention. It is obvious that much needs to be done to protect children and preserve future generations.

The report showed that obese males at age 11 were in the highest risk group for these adult diseases, and that girls and younger boys were not as at risk. These groups of obese children were also found to suffer from sleep apnea, a disease commonly associated with grumpy old men.

If you don't sleep enough at night -- and that means a solid 7 or 8 hours, and you wake up feeling rested and refreshed -- then you're going to experience a bigger, meaner appetite the next day. Your weight-control hormones get all out of whack -- whether you're losing sleep in the city or the country, according to a new study of sleepless peoples in rural areas.

Past reports only studied city-sleeplessness and its connection to weight gain. The new study proves the link is pretty universal -- if you don't put in the nightly hours, you're going to put on the pounds instead. Those who get less than 6 hours sleep a night tend to have at least 2 points higher body mass index measurement than those who get 8 or more hours a night.

Seniors with severe sleep apnea are more than twice as likely to have a stroke, according to a recent report. Characterized by frequent, intermittent breathing blockages and abrupt, loud snoring -- sleep apnea has been previously linked to increased stroke risk, however this study is the first to include elderly subjects.

Over the course of six years, researchers studied a group of seniors aged 70 to 100 years who had no previous incidence of stroke. Of the 394 participants, 20 experienced a stroke. After accounting for other known stroke risk factors, the occurrence of severe sleep apnea produced over double the risk of stroke in the elderly participants. Researchers call for a trial to investigate relieving the elderly of potential sleep apnea by providing continuous positive airway pressure, thereby reducing their risk of a debilitating stroke.

Inadequate sleep has been found to contribute to increased stress levels, which effect heart condition. Recently, a study from the University of Florida found that lack of sleep can create job dissatisfaction, especially in women.

Women frequently lose sleep because of stress, and reported a higher level of fatigue, hostility and difficulty concentrating than their male co-workers. One of the possible causes may be the difference in expectation and treatment of female workers -- as they are encouraged to express themselves emotionally, while men are conditioned to restrain their emotional reactions, researchers theorize. Employer demands, such as the rise in task requirement and time spent at work also contributes greatly to stress.

Recent studies on the effects of work stress on women have also shown that it causes coping behaviors such as eating unhealthy food and smoking, both of which contribute greatly to the development of heart disease. Perhaps if women got adequate amounts of sleep, they wouldn't stress as much at work, causing them to participate in unhealthy behaviors which lead to heart problems. For tips on how to develop better sleep patterns, click here.

New research has revealed information as to why shift workers; people who suffer jet-lag; people with sleep disorders or people advancing in age seem to have more heart disease compared to people in other groups.

Researchers have discovered there is an internal body clock that regulates enzyme production in the liver. These enzymes determine how the liver handles the food we eat and potentially toxic metabolites. The problem is the enzymes function at different levels depending on the time of day.

According to Dr Michael Hastings, who led the research, "Circadian rhythms or our internal body clock adapt us to the solar and social 24 hour world by driving our daily rhythms of behaviour, physiology and metabolism. When these natural cycles go awry we perform less well and feel dreadful. In particular, when our body clocks are disturbed so as to cause a mismatch between when and what we eat and what the body is able to process at meal times, nutrients are handled less effectively, for example fats will not be cleared from the blood stream and blood sugar levels will not be regulated appropriately." This research is published in the journal Current Biology.