Middle-aged and older adults who go to bed late may have poorer cardiovascular health than their peers with earlier or more typical sleep schedules, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
To examine how sleep-wake timing affects heart health, researchers analysed health data from 322,777 adults with an average age of about 57. About 8 per cent of participants identified as evening types, going to bed after midnight; 24 per cent were early birds, typically sleeping around 9 pm; and 67 per cent fell somewhere in between.
Overall, night owls were 79 per cent more likely to have poor cardiovascular health scores based on the American Heart Association’s ‘Life’s Essential 8’ metrics. These measures include a healthy diet, regular physical activity, not smoking, good sleep quality and healthy levels of weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.
During an average follow-up period of 14 years, night owls had a 16 per cent higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke compared with those in the intermediate sleep-timing group. The negative impact of being a night owl on heart health scores was more pronounced in women than in men. In contrast, early birds were 5 per cent less likely to have poor heart health scores than others.
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Researchers found that unhealthy lifestyle behaviours—such as poor diet quality, smoking and inadequate or irregular sleep—accounted for much of the increased cardiovascular risk among night owls.
The good news is that night owls can lower their risk of heart disease by adopting healthier lifestyle habits and aiming to meet ‘Life's Essential 8’ metrics.