New research reveals a surprising verdict on how to get the best night’s sleep – and it’s not about the number of hours

New research suggests that it’s not just a good night’s sleep that is good for your health, but also when you get it.

Those who don’t keep regular bed and wake times are at greater risk of stroke and heart attack, a study of British adults has found.

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 generally get enough sleep.

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

Researchers examined data from 72,269 people aged 40 to 79 who took part in the UK Biobank study, with no history of serious heart-related events such as heart attack.

They wore an activity tracker to track their sleep for a week, after which experts calculated a Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score for each person.

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

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

People were followed for eight years, during which time researchers analyzed how many people suffered from conditions such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Even after taking into account things that could affect the results, such as coffee intake and exercise, irregular sleepers were 26 percent more likely to have a stroke, heart failure or heart attack than those who sleep regularly.

Moderately irregular sleepers were eight percent more likely to do this, according to findings published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Researchers also found that the SRI score was a continuous measure, with people’s risk of heart attack and stroke increasing the more irregular their sleep patterns were.

Overall, the recommended amount of sleep for 18 to 64 year olds is seven to nine hours per night, and seven to eight hours for people 65 and older.

The study found that a greater proportion of regular sleepers (61 percent) met the recommended sleep quota than irregular sleepers (48 percent).

However, this made no difference to the heart health of irregular sleepers, who had the same higher risk of stroke and heart attack even when they got enough sleep.

In contrast, moderately irregular sleepers saw their risk decrease if they got enough sleep.

Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, heightened and unstable emotions, reduced learning ability and a reduced immune response, leaving you vulnerable to disease

The researchers, including from the University of Ottawa, said: ‘Our results suggest that sleep regularity may be more relevant than adequate sleep duration in modulating the risk of major cardiovascular events.’

Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It’s not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart, but research suggests that disrupted sleep is associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP.

‘This is a sign of inflammation, the process linked to cardiovascular disease.

‘Sleep can also have an indirect impact on heart health, by influencing our lifestyle choices.

‘Studies have suggested that not getting enough sleep can affect the hormones that influence our appetite, increasing our cravings for sugary foods.

‘In the long term, this could lead to weight gain and a greater risk of coronary heart disease.

‘More research is needed to strengthen this discovery, but initial results suggest there is an important link between sleep and heart and circulatory health.’