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New study reveals surprise verdict on how to get the best night's sleep - and it's not about the number of hours

British researchers have found that those without regular bed and wake-up times are far more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes, despite getting the recommended amount of shut-eye.

Source: Cubes | 

04.12.2024, 16:25

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Cubes

It's not only getting a decent night’s sleep that’s good for your health but also when you get it, new research suggests.

Those who do not keep to regular bed and wake-up times have a higher risk of stroke and heart attack, according to a study on UK adults.

Irregular sleep patterns increase the risk of conditions such as stroke, heart failure and heart attacks by more than a quarter, regardless of whether people are getting enough sleep overall.

Sleep disruptions can trigger inflammation which can lead to fatty build-up in the arteries as well as interruptions to circadian rhythm, which blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions are linked to.

Researchers examined data for 72,269 people aged 40 to 79 taking part in the UK Biobank study, with no history of major heart-related events such as a heart attack.

They wore an activity tracker for a week to record their sleep, with experts then calculating a Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score for each person.

This score captured the day-to-day variability in bedtime, wake-up time, sleep duration and wake-ups during the night, with people given a score ranging from 0 (very irregular) to 100 (perfectly regular sleep-wake pattern).

Everyone in the study was grouped into either an irregular sleep group (SRI score less than 71.6), moderately irregular sleep group (SRI between 71.6 and 87.3), or regular sleep group (SRI score over 87.3).

Those who had irregular bedtimes had the highest risk of stroke, compared to those who slept for fewer hours overall but went to bed at the same time every night.

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