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

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

The optimal combination of behaviours were also established: sleeping for eight to nine hours per night, completing more than 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and a modest diet quality score. This combination was associated with 57 per cent lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared to people with the least optimal health profile. 

Dr Nicholas Koemel, lead author and research fellow at the University of Sydney, said: “This is very encouraging news because making a few small, combined changes is likely more achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with attempting major changes in a single behaviour. I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine, no matter how small they may seem.”  

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

Behaviour change expert, Dr Heather McKee, applauds the approach of small, consistent changes: “We’ve spent years designing health advice for ideal conditions, not 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 called 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.