If you want to have a healthy heart, it is best to go to sleep early, although not too early. Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. is the perfect interval to minimize the risk of developing heart disease.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health, examined 88,026 people in the UK Biobank study, recruited between 2006 and 2010, and found that those who fell asleep at midnight or even later had a 25% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The average age of the study participants was 61 years, with a range of 43 to 79 years, and 58% were women.
Using a tracking device placed on the wrist, the scientists were able to collect data on how long people slept and woke up over the course of seven days.
During this time, 3,172 participants developed cardiovascular disease, and the incidence was highest in those with hours of sleep at or later midnight, and lowest in those who went to sleep between 10 p.m. and 10.59 p.m.
The results
The team found that of the 3,172 participants, 1,371 fell asleep after midnight on average during the seven days of device use, 1,196 fell asleep within the hour starting at 11 p.m., and 473 fell asleep within the hour to from 10 pm Only 132 fell asleep before 10 at night.
After taking into account the participants’ age, gender, smoking, sleep duration, sleep irregularity, whether they had diabetes, their blood pressure, and their socioeconomic status, the researchers found participants who fell asleep within 10 pm and 10:59 pm had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who fell asleep earlier or later. The data were as follows:
- The risk was 12% higher for those who fell asleep between 11 pm and midnight.
- Falling asleep before 10 pm was also associated with a higher risk, specifically, an increase of 24%.
“Our study indicates that the optimal time to go to sleep is at a specific point in the body’s 24-hour cycle and deviations can be harmful to health . The most dangerous time was after midnight, possibly because it can reduce the likelihood to see the morning light, which resets the biological clock “, comments David Plans of the University of Exeter and co-author of the work.
The study put on the table that the link between sleep onset and cardiovascular disease was more obvious among women than men . The reason is unknown, but researchers suspect it could have something to do with hormones.
Referencia: Accelerometer-derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease incidence: a UK Biobank cohort study
Shahram Nikbakhtian, Angus B Reed, Bernard Dillon Obika, Davide Morelli, Adam C Cunningham, Mert Aral, David Plans
European Heart Journal – Digital Health, ztab088, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztab088
Published:
09 November 2021
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