Welcome to Dr. Mercola's Cellular Wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen

summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required. Subscribe

for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights. If your heart health, blood sugar,

and lifespan depended on how and when you sleep? Would you change your routine

tonight? Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Alara Sky, joined by Ethan Foster.

And today you'll learn why dialing in, not just your sleep hours, but also your timing,

rhythm, and satisfaction is one of the smartest cardiometabolic moves you can make.

Let's frame the stakes.

The American Heart Association reviewed data showing sleep acts like a multidimensional regulator,

duration, bedtime regularity, quality, daytime energy, and specific sleep stages.

Each predict whether your blood pressure, glucose levels,

and arterial lining stay resilient or quietly deteriorate.

Researchers found that treating sleep as a single number

misses the danger signals.

They analyze duration, timing, regularity, continuity,

and subjective satisfaction together, revealing that disruption

in any single dimension elevates your risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and insulin

resistance long before outward symptoms appear.

Start with duration. People clocking fewer than seven hours or stretching past nine experienced higher

rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal blood sugar. Too little deprives you of deep

recovery. Too much often reflects fragmented, low-quality rest that keeps inflammation simmering.

But the clock face matters just as much.

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