What’s the Ideal Bedtime to Help Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk?

According to a new study, going to sleep between 10 and 11pm may help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Participants in the study included 103,712 adults with an average age of 61 who are part of the UK Biobank. The researchers collected data on sleep onset and wakeup time for 7 days using a wrist-worn accelerometer. Participants provided demographic, lifestyle, health, and physical data via questionnaires. Participants were followed for an average of 5.7 years and all incidences of cardiovascular disease were recorded.

Participants who went to sleep at midnight or later were found to have a 25% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who went to sleep between 10 and 11pm. Participants who sent to sleep between 11:01 and 11:59pm had a 12% higher risk, and those who went to sleep before 10pm had a 24% higher risk.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford. It was published online ahead of print on November 9, 2021 in the European Heart Journal - Digital Health.