Eleven extra minutes of sleep a night sounds like almost nothing, yet it was one piece of a small shift linked to a 10% lower risk of major cardiovascular events in a study of more than 53,000 adults. The finding puts a spotlight on heart health habits that fit into a normal day.
The research is not brand new. FOX News reported on it March 29, 2026, and we are revisiting it because the message holds up well as fall routines settle in. This post covers what the study found, what it cannot prove, and a simple four-week plan. It is general information, not medical advice.
What the study found about heart health habits
The work was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, according to FOX News reporting by Kelly McGreal. The lead author is Nicholas Koemel, a research fellow at the University of Sydney.
The team followed more than 53,000 adults for eight years. Wearable devices tracked sleep and movement, while diet was self-reported.
The headline result is that combining several modest daily changes was associated with a significantly lower risk of major cardiovascular events. Those events include heart attacks, stroke and heart failure.
Koemel said the combination had a “surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health,” as quoted by FOX News.
The 10% shift: three tiny changes
The shift linked to a 10% lower risk of major cardiovascular events had three parts, per the FOX News report:
- Sleep: about 11 more minutes per night.
- Activity: 4.5 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day.
- Diet: an extra quarter-cup of vegetables per day.
These heart health habits are deliberately modest. Put in weekly terms, that is roughly 77 extra minutes of sleep, about 31 extra minutes of brisk activity and a few extra servings of vegetables. That math is ours, not the study’s, and it shows how small the ask is.
Koemel urged people “not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine,” according to the same report.
What the best heart health habits profile looked like
The researchers also described an optimal profile. People who matched it had a 57% lower risk of heart disease compared with those with the least healthy habits, FOX News reported.
That profile included:
- 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night.
- 42 or more minutes of moderate activity per day.
- A diet high in fish, whole grains and dairy.
- A diet low in processed meats and sugary drinks.
The gap between 10% and 57% is worth noticing. The small shift is a first step, while the optimal profile is a destination that most people reach gradually, if at all.
If whole grains are a place to start, our look at whole grains and heart health covers a sweet spot of servings found across 87 trials.
What this study cannot prove
This is an observational study. It shows an association, not proof that adding 11 minutes of sleep causes a lower risk.
People who sleep a bit longer, move a bit more and eat more vegetables may differ in other ways that also affect the heart. Observational work can adjust for some of those differences, but not all of them.
There are other limits to keep in mind:
- Diet was self-reported, and people often misremember what they eat.
- Wearables estimate sleep and movement rather than measure them perfectly.
- The report we reviewed does not give details on participants’ ages, health conditions or how the groups were adjusted, so we cannot say who the results apply to most.
That does not make the findings useless. Sleep, activity and diet are all well-established parts of heart care. The study simply suggests that small gains in all three may add up.
Why small heart health habits can work
The best heart health habits are the ones you actually repeat. Big goals are hard to keep. A plan to sleep eight hours, exercise daily and overhaul your diet tends to fade within weeks.
A change of 11 minutes or 4.5 minutes is easy to start and hard to fail at. It also stacks: once one habit feels normal, the next is easier to add.
Our report on habit formation science explains why starting small and repeating often helps a behavior stick.
For context, the CDC publishes general guidance for adults on sleep and physical activity. You can review it at cdc.gov. Many adults fall short of those targets, so a gradual climb toward them is a sensible direction.
A 4-week plan to build heart health habits
Here is a “1% better” plan inspired by the study. It is a general example, not a prescription, and the pace is up to you.
Week 1: Add about 10 minutes of sleep
Sleep is the easiest of the heart health habits to start because it asks you to do less, not more.
Move your bedtime 10 to 15 minutes earlier. Keep your wake time the same. Dim lights and put the phone down a little sooner.
Our piece on exercise for better sleep shows how movement and rest can support each other.
Week 2: Add 5 minutes of brisk movement
Activity is the second of the three heart health habits in the study’s small shift.
Keep the sleep change. Then add a five-minute brisk walk, a few flights of stairs or a short bike ride each day. Brisk means you can talk but not sing.
Week 3: Add a quarter-cup of vegetables
Keep both changes. Stir a quarter-cup of vegetables into eggs, soup, pasta or a sandwich. Frozen and canned (rinsed) options count for the plan.
Week 4: Lock it in and look at the swaps
Run all three changes together for the week. Then pick one swap from the study’s optimal profile: fish in place of a processed meat meal, or water in place of a sugary drink.
Track it with a simple checkmark calendar. If you wear a fitness tracker, you can use it to watch sleep and activity totals, with the caveat that such devices are estimates.
Heart health habits FAQ
Is 11 extra minutes of sleep really enough to protect my heart?
No single change should be treated as a guarantee. In the study, 11 minutes was one part of a three-part shift linked to a 10% lower risk, and the study cannot prove cause and effect.
Is this a new study?
No. FOX News reported on it March 29, 2026. We include it because the practical takeaway remains useful.
What counts as moderate-to-vigorous activity?
Brisk walking, cycling, swimming laps, dancing and similar efforts that raise your breathing and heart rate. Check with a clinician if you are unsure what is safe for you.
Do I need to hit the optimal profile?
Not at once. The 57% figure compares the best habits with the worst, so it shows the range of possible benefit rather than a required target.
What if I already have heart disease or take heart medication?
Talk to your doctor before changing your exercise or diet. Our sleep and longevity report is a good read, but personal medical decisions belong with your care team.
Putting heart health habits in perspective
Heart disease has many drivers, including family history, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking. None of these heart health habits replaces screening, medication or advice from your doctor when you need them.
Think of the habits as the daily base layer. They are cheap, they carry few downsides for most healthy adults, and they are the part you control from your own kitchen, couch and bedroom.
It also helps to measure progress in weeks, not days. A missed night of sleep or a skipped walk does not erase the plan. The study followed people for eight years, so consistency over a long stretch is the point.
If you share a home, make it a group effort. A family walk after dinner, a shared vegetable dish and a common lights-out time turn personal heart health habits into household routines, which are easier to keep.
The bottom line
The study suggests that heart health habits do not have to be dramatic to matter. A few more minutes of sleep, a few more minutes of movement and a bit more vegetable on the plate were linked to a 10% lower risk of major cardiovascular events.
Your takeaway for this week: pick just one of the three changes, make it tiny, and do it every day for seven days. Then add the next. This article is not medical advice, so talk with a doctor about what is right for you. Stay with USA One News for more health studies, explained plainly.
