I never get enough sleep. I am always tired. You’ve heard this hundreds of times. It is important to note that lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to heart attack and it affects your overall health.

Swedish researchers have found that after the world has set their clock one hour forward, prolonging their sleep time, the rate of heart attacks dropped with 5 percent. The research, based on heart attacks in Sweden, shows that sleep deprivation has adverse effects on our cardiovascular health. Sleep deprivation may increase the likelihood of having a heart attack, as it boosts blood pressure and heart rate, which can lead to a tendency to form dangerous clots.  

In the week after "spring forward," researchers found a 5 percent increase in heart attacks, with a 6 percent bump on Monday and Wednesday and a 10 percent increase on Tuesday. Mondays are difficult days for vulnerable people because of the stress of starting a new work week, the increase in activity and the fatigue from the weekend. Previous studies have found deaths from heart attacks tend to increase on Mondays compared to other days of the week.

The effect was more pronounced in women and in people under age 65. The shift affects working people more because they have to stick to their program, while those who are retired have a more flexible schedule.

Vulnerable people might benefit from avoiding sudden changes in their biological rhythms, the study’s authors concluded.

More than 1.5 billion people worldwide turn their clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall. It is very easy to forget that sleep is one of the dimensions of health and well-being. Do you get enough sleep?