Adding just 11 minutes of sleep, 4.5 minutes of walking, and one handful (about 50 grams) of vegetables to your daily routine can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke by approximately 10%, according to a new study.
The findings suggest that making small changes across multiple lifestyle areas can meaningfully improve cardiovascular health without requiring dramatic shifts in any single habit.
An international research team led by Dr. Nicholas Comel of the University of Sydney analyzed sleep, exercise, and dietary data from more than 53,000 UK Biobank participants over eight years. The results were recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Sleep and physical activity were measured objectively using wearable devices such as smartwatches, while dietary information was self-reported by participants. During the follow-up period, a total of 2,034 major cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure were recorded.
An optimal lifestyle combination of eight to nine hours of sleep, at least 42 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily, and a healthy diet was found to reduce cardiovascular disease risk by up to 57%. Everyday activities such as climbing stairs, carrying grocery bags, and brisk walking qualify as moderate-intensity exercise. The researchers emphasized that changing several small habits simultaneously is far more practical and sustainable than attempting dramatic changes.
"Combining a few small changes in daily life can have a surprisingly large effect on cardiovascular health," Dr. Comel said. "Making small changes across multiple areas is easier to implement and maintain than trying to overhaul a single habit," he added.
Co-author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis said the team plans to develop digital tools to help people make positive lifestyle changes based on these findings. However, the researchers noted that as an observational study, additional intervention trials are needed to establish a clear causal relationship between lifestyle habits and cardiovascular disease.
The study carries significant implications for South Korea, where chronic sleep deprivation is widespread. According to the "2025 Good Sleep Report" by healthcare device group Tenminds, the average sleep duration for Koreans is 6 hours and 50 minutes, which is 1 hour and 32 minutes shorter than the OECD average of 8 hours and 22 minutes.
The Korean Sleep Research Society's "2024 Sleep Status of Koreans" report also found that the average Korean sleeps 6 hours and 58 minutes, 18% less than the OECD average.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and ranks as the second major cause of death in South Korea after cancer. Given the country's significant sleep deficit, there is growing interest in the health benefits that an additional 11 minutes of sleep could bring.
