Life Goals 101
Whether you're a night owl or an early bird, it might be time to rethink your bedtime. A new study suggests that going to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. may protect against heart problems and death from them over the next decade—and keep you out of the hospital in the process.
The research, published Wednesday in the European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, was designed to see if following sleep guidelines related to cardiovascular health could have any effect on participants' cardiovascular health. It examined data from 864 people without heart problems who were followed for an average of 7.4 years after taking part in another randomized clinical trial testing how vitamin D influences calcium metabolism. When the patients were included in this current study, they were an average of 59 years old and all lived in or near Helsinki, Finland.
The researchers found that going to bed earlier was associated with a lower risk for being hospitalized for heart problems—including cardiovascular disease. But what really stood out was the timing of 10 p.m. In this group compared to those who went to bed later than 10 p.m., there were 48% fewer hospitalizations from any cause over the 11-year follow-up period and 35% fewer hospitalizations from a cardiovascular problem specifically . That's a "pretty strong association," says study author Mika Kivimaki , a professor at University College London in England who specializes in investigating chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease through their relation to sleep.
In fact, the good effects of going to bed before 10 p.m. were "nearly as strong as quitting smoking," Kivimaki tells TIME. That's a notable finding because cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization .
And other sleep studies have found that even moderate changes in how much or when you go to bed may also contribute to your risk of cardiovascular problems.
It's not clear why getting an early night could help lower the risk of heart problems, but Kivimaki says the link between sleeplessness and higher blood pressure, stress hormones and inflammatory proteins suggests that there could be a connection through multiple biological pathways.
"The general message is really important," he says. "If you are over 50—particularly over 55—you should still try to get enough sleep." He notes that this study focused on people who were average sleepers already adhering to their randomization group's guidelines for healthy behaviours like eating better and avoiding smoking . Although they were all participants in a separate study about vitamin D, not all of them followed these guidelines religiously. "So if the sleepers with the most healthy behaviour were getting a benefit," he says, it's possible that people who don't already have a commitment to being more active and eating better could be even more likely to see positive effects from going to bed early.
Plan is also hopeful about the overall message of the study because it emphasizes how much sleep can influence your health—no matter when you actually fall asleep .
"I think this is good news for people with irregular schedules," he says, "because it means that improving your sleep hygiene or making sure you get enough sleep might help protect against heart disease." Of course, there are plenty of other ways to help bolster your body's defenses against heart disease , especially if you don't have time to spring for a few more Z's each night.
Although this is the first study to examine whether going to bed earlier can directly protect against heart problems, it builds on previous research from the same group of researchers showing that women who sleep less than five hours per night are at greater risk for stroke . Other studies have also linked both insufficient and too much sleep with an increased cardiovascular risk—but haven't necessarily shown cause and effect or any specific mechanisms behind how lack of sleep could make you sick. Whether insomnia is actually causing these health effects or people who suffer from chronic conditions like depression tend not to get enough rest remains unclear, but hopefully future “The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning,” study author David Plans, head of research at the British health care technology company Huma, said in a statement.
“While we cannot conclude causation from our study,” Plans added, “the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.”
Making sure you get enough sleep may also help your memory, decrease your stress levels and lower your risk for diabetes. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention , adults between 18 and 64 should get seven hours of shuteye each night while people over 65 should aim for seven to eight hours per night. Luckily, if you're having trouble falling asleep or waking up because you're stressed out, there are plenty of ways—While the researchers who conducted the new study cautioned that more work needs to be done to understand the potential connection between bedtimes and heart health, they believe their research reveals powerful clues.
“If our findings are confirmed in other studies, sleep timing and basic sleep hygiene could be a low-cost public health target for lowering risk of heart disease,” Plans said.
Of course, people cannot necessarily control their bedtimes, especially those whose jobs require them to work late into the night or very early in the mornings. But to the extent it’s possible, sleep experts say you should be relatively consistent about when you go to sleep and when you wake up — and aim for a bedtime that means you can get at least seven to eight hours of sleep. Also, avoid large meals and caffeine before bed and try to create a quiet, dark sleep environment.While the researchers who conducted the new study cautioned that more work needs to be done to understand the potential connection between bedtimes and heart health, they believe their research reveals powerful clues.
Now that you understand the background of this article, here are some fun facts about bedtimes for easy reference.
Going to bed later could make your life worse in a number of ways beyond heart health.
Making sure you get enough sleep may also help your memory, decrease your stress levels and lower your risk for diabetes. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention , adults between 18 and 64 should get seven hours of shuteye each night while people over 65 should aim for seven to eight hours per night. Luckily, if you're having trouble falling asleep or waking up because you're stressed out, there are plenty of ways—While the researchers who conducted the new study cautioned that more work needs to be done to understand the potential connection.
Happy Sleeping.
Capt. Sarab Sandhu
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