Irregular bedtimes and sleeping less than 8 hours may double your risk of heart attack, study finds

People who go to bed at odd times and sleep less than eight hours a night may be twice as likely to suffer from major heart problems, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland followed 3,231 adults for ten years to study the impact of sleep habits on heart health.

Participants wore wearable devices that recorded when they went to bed, woke up, and mid-sleep, which is halfway between falling asleep and waking up.

To identify those who had irregular sleep schedules, the researchers measured how much those schedules varied each day over seven consecutive days.

During the ten-year follow-up, 128 participants – about four percent – ​​experienced major cardiac events, including heart attack, stroke, unstable angina, hospitalization for heart failure and even death from cardiovascular disease.

People with widely varying bedtimes or sleep midpoints were at significantly higher risk — but only if they slept less than the median of seven hours and 56 minutes per night.

Those who slept longer did not have the same increased risk.

Researchers said irregular bedtimes can disrupt the body’s internal clock, which controls heart function, hormones, metabolism and the body’s ability to recover during sleep.

Going to bed at different times and sleeping less than eight hours could double your risk of heart attack

Wake-up time doesn’t seem to affect risk, suggesting that going to bed at a consistent time is more important than the time you wake up.

Other factors linked to higher risk included being male, having a higher body mass index and being unemployed.

Participants who experienced cardiac events also tended to have higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels than those who did not.

The study took into account other risk factors, including gender, BMI, employment, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and physical activity, to ensure the results reflected the effect of sleep irregularity.

Previous research shows that inconsistent sleep patterns and short sleep are linked to obesity, diabetes and lower immune function.

In the UK, adults sleep an average of six hours and 27 minutes a night, less than the seven to nine hours recommended by the NHS.

The study, published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, highlights that sleep duration and regularity are important for long-term heart health.

Even if people can’t get eight hours of sleep regularly, going to bed at a regular time can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and other serious heart problems.