Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 19.8 million people died from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 2022. Among these, 85% of them due to heart attack and stroke. Both heart attack and stroke can be caused due to various reasons, and these include your diet, physical activity, sleep and more. A new study has found that ‘night owls’ or people who go to bed late may have an increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
For this study, researchers analysed the role of chronotypes in heart disease. They compared people who are more active in the evening (night owls) with those who are active in the morning (larks) and those who are somewhere in the middle (intermediates). The team analysed the relationship between chronotype, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and common risk factors like nicotine use, sleep, and physical activity levels. Chronotypes are categories that describe people’s sleep-wake patterns based on their internal biological clock.
Night Owls Face Higher Heart Disease Risk
The team theorised that being a night owl may be a “marker for underlying circadian misalignments,” as it disrupted daily wake-sleep cycles. Previous studies have found how the difference between the natural light-dark cycle and a person’s body clock can cause cardiometabolic issues. This is why shift workers have an increased risk of heart disease and metabolic issues.
The researchers also say that most of these risk factors can be modified, which means you can make certain changes that can help to improve your heart health. Speaking to Healthline, Dr. Sina Kianersi, DVM, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and first author of the study, said, “The key point is not that chronotype is ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ but that being a ‘night owl’ often travels with a less favorable heart-health profile.