Everyone is looking for tweaks they can make to optimize their health. Sleeping for about 11 extra minutes a night can lower the risk of a heart attack as much as taking medication, according to a study.

A study using 53,000 middle-aged British adults found that an extra 11 minutes of shut-eye lowered heart attack risk by 10 percent.

Other small changes added up. Adding five minutes of walking to the day and an extra serving of veggies to a meal can lower the risk. People following the optimal lifestyle have a 57 percent lower risk of heart attack and stroke.

“Combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health,” said lead author Dr. Nicholas Koemel of the Univ. of Sydney. “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 behavior. Making even modest shifts in our daily routines is likely to have cardiovascular benefits as well as create opportunities for further changes in the long run. 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.”

While diets in the study were self-reported, sleep habits and exercise behavior were tracked with smart watches.

In the eight-year follow-up period, 2,034 people in the study had major cardiovascular events. With such a large study, the researchers were able to identify sleep, diet and exercise as the driving factors behind lowering heart risks.

“We plan to build on these findings to develop new digital tools that support people in making positive lifestyle changes and establish sustained healthy habits,” said study author Prof. Emmanuel Stamatakis. “This will involve working closely with community members to make sure the tools are easy to use and can address the barriers we all face in making tweaks to our day-to-day routines.”

Making changes for your health can feel insurmountable. It’s the idea of needing to make a commitment and sticking to it that is so hard for so many people to swallow. Healthy changes seem like a large commitment. This study makes that idea less scary.

“What’s encouraging about this study is that it shows those changes don’t need to be big to make a difference,” said Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation. “Small tweaks — like getting a little more sleep, adding a few extra minutes of activity to your day, or eating a bit more veg — can work together to have a meaningful positive impact on your heart health.”

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