A person can eat carefully, run several kilometres a day and still overlook one habit that quietly affects almost every part of health: sleep. It is easy to treat sleep as leftover time after work, exercise and other responsibilities. But the body does some of its most important maintenance work while it rests.
The missing piece in an otherwise healthy routine
In an Instagram video, radiologist Dr Harsh Vyas, MBBS, DNB (Radio Diagnosis) shared the case of a 45-year-old man who exercised regularly, ran about 5-7 km a day and followed a balanced diet, yet eventually needed two coronary stents.Dr Vyas highlighted one detail that often gets ignored: the man reportedly slept only about five to six hours each night because of a demanding corporate job.That story should not be read as proof that short sleep directly caused his blocked arteries. Heart disease usually develops through several interacting risk factors. But the doctor’s larger point is important: exercise and diet cannot make sleep irrelevant.
Sleep is when the body gets to work
Sleep is not simply an inactive state. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) explains that during sleep, heart rate and blood pressure normally fall, while the body supports brain function and physical health. Good-quality sleep also helps regulate appetite, blood sugar and immune function.The CDC recommends that most adults get at least seven hours of sleep. It also links insufficient sleep with conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.So, a nutritious dinner and a hard workout are valuable. They simply cannot replace several hours of restorative sleep.
Five hours today cannot be “worked off” tomorrow
This is where the idea of “earning” health through exercise falls short. Sleep debt is not a fitness challenge.NIH-backed research has linked insufficient sleep with changes in heart rate and higher levels of norepinephrine, a stress hormone that can raise blood pressure.Another NIH study found that highly irregular sleep schedules were associated with greater cardiovascular risk.
Timing matters too
Dr Vyas also stressed consistency. Sleeping at wildly different times each night can disturb the body’s circadian rhythm, even if the total hours sometimes add up.A practical goal is therefore simple: aim for 7-9 hours, keep bedtime and wake-up times reasonably consistent, and treat sleep as part of the health routine rather than the reward left after everything else is finished.
The habit that looks unproductive but isn’t
Modern health culture often celebrates visible effort: kilometres run, calories counted, weights lifted. Sleep looks different. Nothing appears to be happening.Yet that quiet stretch of the night gives the body time to regulate, repair and reset.As Dr Vyas put it, the focus should not be only on eating well and exercising. Sleep deserves the same seriousness. Stress management matters too, because stress and poor sleep can reinforce each other.