You surely know by now that there’s an “ideal” amount of sleep we’re supposed to get at night: roughly seven to nine hours. This applies to the entire age range for adults, whether you’re 18 or 88.  And it’s not a loose suggestion, like how many days a week you should shower. 

A lot of surprising things can affect your sleep. For example, what you drink and when you drink it, electronic devices like your phone or tablet, the temperature of the room, how much you exercise — even when you go to bed each night.

Together, these things are called sleep hygiene and practicing good sleep hygiene can help you get consistent, healthy sleep — and help your heart at the same time. 

Here are some proven tips that can help you get more sleep: 

Since the 1980s, doctors have been prescribing aspirin to help prevent heart attacks and strokes, especially in individuals at high risk. But in recent years, studies have shown that aspirin, which is often prescribed because it helps inhibit blood clot formation that can block your arteries, may create other risks especially for people 60 and older.

Chances are, your doctor is already screening you for atherosclerosis risk. They are probably keeping track of your cholesterol, blood pressure and your blood sugar levels. But even if these numbers are perfect, you may still have fatty deposits in your heart arteries, according to a new study. 

If you like walnuts, you’re going to go nuts over this: They may help lower your risk for heart disease.

Coronary artery disease, the most common form of cardiovascular disease, when plaque builds up in your arteries. Elevated levels low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol, are a major contributor. 

Would you be able to identify clinical depression in yourself? Could you identify it with a loved one? 

You may think you can. After all, the telltale signs seem pretty hard to miss: ongoing sadness or hopelessness, loss of interest in normal activities, fatigue, sleep problems. 

Type 2 diabetes has been an epidemic in the U.S. for more than a decade — 13 percent of American adults have diabetes and almost 35 percent are considered prediabetic, according to JAMA. Type 2 diabetes is more common in older adults -- the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. -- and raises the risk for heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, nonalcoholic liver diseases, falls, urinary incontinence, dementia, depression and hearing loss. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 50 years, it’s that nutrition is an evolving science. What we think we know today may not be the case in a generation. And, as with any science, exciting findings in animal studies may never bear out in humans. 

The quest to learn if dietary fat affects cancer risk is a prime example. We’ve seen – and continue to see – individual studies that hint toward a possible connection. But a much larger body of evidence suggests the opposite. In the scientific world, the side with more data wins. 

Can turmeric help prevent cancer? It sure seems so – if you’re an incurable optimist. The truth is more nuanced than the hype about this supplement.

How much does your diet affect your risk for cancer and what role does it play? For decades researchers have looked for foods that lower your cancer risk or plant-based nutrients that are related to higher or lower risks. While studies in Petri dishes and animals have shown promise, most of that promise disappears once the studies are done in humans.