Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D.: When you don't sleep well, bad things happen.
Vivien Williams: Dr. Virend Somers is a cardiologist who studies sleep.
Dr. Somers: Sleep is very much a multidisciplinary specialty for good reason because sleep affects all the organs of the body.
Vivien Williams: Poor sleep may increase your risk of conditions such as heart disease, obesity, depression, dementia. And it even affects how you look. Dr. Somers offers the following tips: Avoid alcohol and big meals before bed; don't exercise right before bed; and turn off all screens, including your smartphone, an hour before bed.
Dr. Somers: We've got bright lights all over the place, and then we switch the lights off, we lie in bed and expect to sleep. The bedroom, the bed is for sex and sleep. It's not for spreadsheets, it's not for watching TV.
Vivien Williams: He also suggests keeping your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Healthy sleep for a healthy life. For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Vivien Williams.