This “Ritual” Reduces Heart Risk by 26%
If you listen to mainstream health sources, you’ll walk away thinking that most heart problems are solely caused by diet or weight.
And sure, each does play a part… but there’s far more to the story.
Case in point…
Researchers have identified a lifestyle factor that can send your risk of heart attack and stroke soaring by 26 percent.
(And it has nothing to do with diet, exercise, or weight.)
Researchers studied data on 72,000 people from ages 40 to 79 who had never suffered a major cardiovascular event.
They wanted to see how sleep affected the risk of heart attack and stroke, so they had the volunteers wear activity trackers for seven days.
They measured…
- how much they slept
- how regular their sleep was
Sleep definitely impacted heart attack risk, but not how you might think.
Results showed that irregular sleepers (going to sleep and waking up at different times) had a 26 percent increased risk of a major cardiovascular event. In comparison, moderately irregular sleepers had an eight percent increased risk.
Here’s the kicker: Getting the recommended hours of sleep every night was not enough to cancel out the increased risks associated with irregular sleep.
In contrast, people with regular sleep patterns had up to an 18 percent reduced risk of a major cardiovascular event.
If you haven’t guessed by now, it all has to do with your circadian rhythm—your internal clock that’s critical for regulating systems throughout your entire body.
Getting on a regular sleep schedule doesn’t always happen overnight… it can take time, planning, and effort. However, in most cases, it’s something folks can do, and it’s well worth the effort.
- First, decide on a bedtime.
- Next, create a bedtime routine that limits late-night eating, screentime, and artificial blue light.
- Then, stick to a designated wake-up time.
In the end, a consistent bedtime ritual will make a huge difference in your overall health… including reducing your risk of heart issues.
P.S. Daily AM ritual delivers better sleep at night.
View Sources
Chaput J, Biswas RK, Ahmadi M, et al., Sleep regularity and major adverse cardiovascular events: a device-based prospective study in 72 269 UK adults, J Epidemiol Community Health Published Online First: 27 November 2024. doi: 10.1136/jech-2024-222795
