Sleeping for 11 minutes more each night, doing 4.5 additional minutes of brisk walking and eating an extra 50g or so of vegetables each day can significantly reduce a person’s risk of heart attack, a study has found.
Academics found these small changes could help people avoid major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, by about 10%. Small behaviour changes were more “achievable and sustainable”, the research team said.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, was conducted by experts from Australia, Chile and Brazil who examined data on more than 53,000 middle-aged UK adults taking part in the Biobank study.
Researchers looked at sleep habits and levels of exercise through data from wearable technology such as smartwatches. People also self-reported on their dietary habits.
The researchers found that 2,034 major cardiovascular events occurred during an eight-year follow-up period. They were able to identify the “optimal” way people could avoid these incidents, including a good diet, eight to nine hours sleep each night and a minimum of 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. Combining these measures leads to a 57% lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
They also found the “clinically relevant” combination of behaviours that could reduce people’s risk, including more sleep, better diet and more moderate-to-vigorous activity. According to the NHS website, moderate activity can include brisk walking, dancing, pushing a lawn mower, water aerobics and riding a bike. Vigorous activity includes running, swimming, skipping and aerobics.
Dr Nicholas Koemel, the study’s lead author and a research fellow at the University of Sydney, said: “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.”
Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis, a senior author of the study and professor of physical activity and population health at the University of Sydney and Monash University, said: “We plan to build on these findings to develop new digital tools that support people in making positive lifestyle changes and establish sustained healthy habits.
“This will involve working closely with community members to make sure the tools are easy to use and can address the barriers we all face in making tweaks to our day-to-day routines.”
Commenting on the study, 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.
“Small tweaks – like getting a little more sleep, adding a few extra minutes of activity to your day or eating a bit more veg – can work together to have a meaningful positive impact on your heart health. We know that regular movement, good-quality sleep and a balanced diet are all important for our overall wellbeing.
“This research highlights that improving these habits in combination, even in modest ways, can be more achievable and still bring real benefits. The key is aiming for a generally healthy day-to-day lifestyle that you can stick with.”
