Small improvements to sleep, diet and physical activity have major benefits for the heart, according to new research from the University of Sydney

Small improvements to sleep, diet quality, and physical activity – when made in combination – lead to a significantly reduced risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. 

Sleeping for only 11 minutes more, doing an additional 4.5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and eating an extra quarter cup of vegetables each day were associated with a 10 per cent reduction in major cardiovascular events.

The optimal combination of behaviours were also established by the study, which found that sleeping for eight to nine hours a night, completing more than 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day and achieving a modest ‘diet quality’ score led to the best outcomes.

This combination was associated with 57 per cent lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared to people with the least optimal health profile.

I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine

Digital tools

Dr Nicholas Koemel, lead author and research fellow at the University of Sydney, said: “This is encouraging because making small, combined changes is achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with major changes in a single behaviour. I’d encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to their daily routine.” 

The research team plans to build on these findings to develop new digital tools that support people in making positive lifestyle changes and establishing sustained healthy habits.

Behaviour change expert, Dr Heather McKee, applauds the approach of small, consistent changes, saying: “We’ve spent years designing health advice for ideal conditions rather than real life. This research reinforces what behavioural science has shown for decades: people don’t fail because they don’t care, they fail because the changes aren’t sustainable.

“Eleven more minutes of sleep, a few minutes of movement, an extra portion of vegetables. These sound trivial, but repeated daily, they can shift the trajectory of someone’s health. Small changes are not insignificant. Small changes stick.”

The study – Combined variations in sleep, physical activity, and nutrition and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events – was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Data was analysed from a sub-study of UK Biobank, a cohort study of 502,629 adults aged 40-69, who were recruited from 2006 to 2010.

It is the first study to assess the impact of sleep, physical activity and diet combined. 

More: www.hcmmag.com/shiftingtrajectory