Night Owls May Have Worse Heart Health – Why?

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Okay,here’s a revised version of the text,incorporating verification of claims and correcting any inaccuracies found through web searches. I’ll highlight the changes made with explanations at the end.

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## Night owls May Face Higher Heart Health Risk, Study Suggests

People who identify as “night owls” – those with a natural preference for staying up late and waking up late – may be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research. While the link isn’t definitive, several studies are pointing to a potential connection.

Early evidence also suggests subtle differences in heart structure and function in night owls, though the long-term effects of these differences are still being studied.

## Questions to address

Some data from the UK Biobank study suggest the link between night owls and poorer heart health may be stronger in females than in males. Female night owls were 96% more likely, and male night owls 67% more likely, than their intermediate chronotype counterparts to have a poor overall cardiovascular health profile, according to the LE8 score.

Kianersi said, “This difference could reflect social pressures, biology, or both. It’s a signal that deserves further study.”

Even though the UK Biobank study found a link between the chronotype and poorer heart health, being a night owl doesn’t doom you to cardiovascular disease.

“We need studies that get closer to cause and effect, using approaches like genetics as well as intervention research,” Kianersi said. “And it will be vital to see if these patterns hold in younger adults and in other populations with different work schedules and environments.”

For night owls looking to protect their hearts, Mohanty advises focusing on improving lifestyle habits whenever possible.

“That means developing healthier sleep routines, exercising, making healthy dietary choices, avoiding unnecessary snacking and smoking, and potentially using medication to reduce risk if needed,” he said. Approaching heart health holistically is “probably the best approach to limit risk.”