Going to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart and circulatory disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health. While many studies have investigated the link between sleep duration and heart and circulatory diseases, the relationship between sleep timing and heart disease hasn’t been explored as thoroughly.
This study included 88,026 individuals in the UK Biobank recruited between 2006 and 2010. Participants wore an accelerometer on their wrist for seven days, which collected information on the times they went to sleep and woke up. They were then followed up over an average of 5.7 years for a new diagnosis of a heart and circulatory disease.
3,172 participants (3.6 per cent) developed heart and circulatory disease during follow up. Compared to people who fell asleep between 10:00 and 10:59pm, people who fell asleep after midnight had a 25 per cent higher risk of developing heart and circulatory disease. Those who fell asleep between 11:00 and 11:59pm had a 12 per cent higher risk, while falling asleep before 10:00pm led to a 24 per cent increased risk.
Source: British Heart Foundation