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Researchers have found there is an optimum time to go to bed each evening – one that may reduce your risk for heart disease.
According to
NBC, an analysis of more than 88,000 adults found that falling asleep between 10 and 11 p.m is best for cardiovascular health.
“The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning,” a co-author of the study, David Plans, a neuroscientist and experimental psychologist who is a senior lecturer in organizational neuroscience at the University of Exeter in the U.K., said in a statement reported by
NBC. “While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.”
The research, published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health, found that those who fell asleep between 11 and 11:59 p.m had a 12 percent greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who drifted off between 10 and 11 p.m. Likewise, those who fell asleep before 10 p.m, or who hit the sheets after midnight faced a 25 percent greater risk of heart disease.
According to
NBC, the increased risk was more pronounced among women who fell asleep later and more pronounced among men who fell asleep before 10 p.m.