Sleeping between 10 and 11 pm linked to lower risk of heart disease: Study

Going to sleep between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease in comparison with earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study published Tuesday.

The relationship between sleep timing and heart disease has been relatively underexplored, the study found. But growing evidence suggests that poor sleep health is associated with cardiovascular risk.

The study looked at 88,026 individuals in Britain between 2006 and 2010 — around 58 percent were female and the average age was 61.

The researchers also looked at factors such as smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and whether participants self-identified as early birds or night owls in their sleeping habits.

Data on falling-asleep and waking-up times was collected over seven days using the wrist-worn accelerometers. The study found that around 3,172 participants (3.6 percent) developed cardiovascular diseases — such as a heart attack, stroke or narrowed heart arteries.

The rate of occurrences was highest in those with sleep times at midnight or later and lowest in those who fell asleep between 10 p.m. and 10:59 p.m.

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading causes of death worldwide, with an estimated 18 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization. More than four out of five deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one-third occur in people under 70.

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