Individuals who prefer burning the midnight oil face substantially elevated risks of cardiovascular problems, according to fresh research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The study, which examined data from nearly 323,000 British adults, revealed self-described night owls demonstrated a 79 per cent higher prevalence of poor heart health compared with those maintaining intermediate sleep schedules.
Furthermore, these late-night individuals faced a 16 per cent greater likelihood of suffering heart attacks or strokes over the study's follow-up period.
The association proved especially pronounced among female participants, researchers noted. The research drew upon the UK Biobank, a comprehensive database that recruited participants between 2006 and 2010.
Early risers may have better cardiovascular health
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Those involved, with an average age of 57, completed questionnaires assessing their chronotype, essentially determining when during the day they naturally feel most alert and energetic.
The results showed roughly a quarter of respondents identified as morning people, while just eight per cent considered themselves evening types.
The remaining 67 per cent fell into what investigators termed the intermediate category, neither strongly inclined towards early rising nor late nights.
Scientists then evaluated each participant using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 framework, which scores cardiovascular health from zero to 100.
Across all participants, the mean cardiovascular health score reached 67.4, with women outperforming men at 70 versus 65, respectively.
Those classified as night owls showed dramatically worse outcomes, with poor heart health—defined as scoring below 50 - appearing 79 per cent more frequently than among the intermediate group.
Early risers, by contrast, demonstrated a modest 5 per cent lower prevalence of poor cardiovascular health.
Over a median follow-up spanning 14 years, evening types experienced a 16 per cent heightened risk of cardiac events or strokes.
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"It's not just that chronotype alone has something that raises night owls' risk for cardiovascular disease," explained lead author Sina Kianersi, a research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, "but it is through that profile, or that poor cardiovascular health, that it causes that increased [heart disease] risk."
Medical director of the VCU Health Center for Sleep Medicine in Virginia, Dr Maha Alattar, who was not involved in the research, highlighted the fundamental importance of rest for bodily function.
The body needs seven to nine hours of quality sleep nightly for optimal cardiovascular wellbeing
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"When we go to sleep, we go into physiological processes that actually help us regenerate some of our tissues, brain neurotransmitters; we kind of reset ourselves," she said.
"Every single biological cell and tissue in the body depends on sleep to be able to maintain itself during wakefulness."
Prolonged sleep deprivation can elevate stress hormones such as cortisol, potentially contributing to cardiac disease development.
The American Heart Association advises adults to obtain seven to nine hours of quality sleep nightly for optimal cardiovascular wellbeing.
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