Middle-aged and older “night owls” may be at greater risk for cardiovascular issues, according to a recent study conducted by a group of international researchers.
Using data from nearly 323,000 adults in the UK Biobank research database, the team sought to gauge how individual sleep preferences affect cardiovascular health.
The researchers found that “night owls,” or individuals who are more active in the evening and go to bed later, had a 79% higher risk for a poorer cardiovascular score compared with participants who were neither morning nor evening people, also known as “intermediate chronotypes.” Night owls also had a 16% higher chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke over 14 years of follow-up compared with “intermediate chronotypes.”
Other findings:
- Being a night owl affected cardiovascular health scores for women more than men.
- “Early birds” had a 5% lower occurrence of low heart health scores compared with those without a strong morning or evening chronotype.
“Much of the increased risk of heart disease among evening people was due to poor heart health habits and factors, especially nicotine use and inadequate sleep,” says the American Heart Association.
Those behaviors can be changed, AHA volunteer chair Kristen Knutson said.
“Evening types aren’t inherently less healthy, but they face challenges that make it particularly important for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
