The time we go to bed can have a significant impact on our cardiovascular health. Going to bed between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease than going to bed earlier or later. What is the reason for this? Our internal biological clock…

The researchers behind the UK Biobank study believe that synchronizing sleep with our internal body clock could explain the link between a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The importance of the body’s natural 24-hour rhythm for health and alertness cannot be overstated.

It can also have an effect on blood pressure.

Many studies have looked into the link between sleep length and cardiovascular disease, but there has been minimal research into the link between sleep scheduling and heart disease.

In a large sample of individuals, this study looked at the link between objectively observed sleep onset and self-reported sleep onset.

The study included 88,026 participants who were recruited between 2006 and 2010 from the UK Biobank. The average age was 61 years old (range 43 to 79 years old), and 58 percent of the participants were female. A wrist accelerometer was used to collect data on sleep onset and waking time over the course of seven days.

Demographic, lifestyle, health, and physical assessments and questionnaires were completed by participants. They were then monitored for signs of a new heart attack, heart failure, chronic ischemic heart disease, stroke, or transient ischemic attack, which were identified as heart attack, heart failure, chronic ischemic heart disease, stroke, and transient ischemic attack.

3,172 participants (3.6 percent) had cardiovascular disease over the course of the study’s 5.7-year follow-up period. Those who went to bed before or after 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. had a higher risk.

After adjusting for age, gender, sleep duration, sleep irregularity (defined as different times to go to sleep and wake up), self-reported chronotype (early riser or night owl), smoking, BMI, diabetes, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and socioeconomic status, researchers looked at the link between sleep onset and cardiovascular events.

As a result, they discovered that those who went to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. had a 12 percent to 25 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who went to bed earlier or later.

Women had a stronger link than males, with only the beginning of sleep before 10 p.m. remaining significant.

The 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 detrimental to health. 

The riskiest time was after midnight, possibly because it can reduce the probability of seeing the morning light, which resets the biological clock.

“While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health,” said the study author.

“The riskiest time was after midnight, potentially because it may reduce the likelihood of seeing morning light, which resets the body clock.”

Study author Dr David Plans believes that the reasons for the stronger association seen between sleep onset and cardiovascular disease in women are unclear. 

“It may be that there is a difference in the way the endocrine system responds to a disruption in the circadian rhythm.”

For Regina Giblin, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, “sleep isn’t the only factor that can impact heart health. It’s also important to look at your lifestyle as knowing your numbers such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly, cutting down on salt and alcohol intake, and eating a balanced diet can also help to keep your heart healthy.”

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