Many are aware that how much sleep we get is important. This is a great starting point because full recovery does not happen without sufficient sleep time. Yet there’s also evidence that bedtime matters, suggesting there’s an optimal time to hit the sheets. The findings suggest that bedtimes beyond midnight may be a good target. Heart health may reflect bedtimes to some extent, because large-scale studies indicate that heart health is related to when we turn in each night.
Sleep data was collected, and individual health outcomes were followed for almost six years in over 100-thousand adults. During this time, over three-thousand study participants developed cardiovascular disease (CVD). Did their bedtimes make a difference?
After adjusting for age, sleep quality and sleep duration, and ruling out pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors, significant associations between bedtime and heart health emerged. Yes, an earlier bedtime is associated with better heart health, so this is another reason to advance your bedtime!
The lowest CVD incidence occurred in those who went to bed between 10 and 11 PM. These were the people most likely to maintain a healthy heart during the six-year follow-up. Compared to this healthiest group, how did the other bedtimes fare?
Comparing men and women reveals that the higher risk of CVD beyond midnight was significant only in women. (To clarify, the higher CVD risk between 11 and midnight was significant in men, just not past midnight.) Sleep habits may be even more important for women because there are other signs of heightened sensitivities in women, too.
Immune studies confirm that women are more sensitive to sleep disruptions. For example, when sleep is cut short in men and women, both sexes release inflammatory signals (such as cytokines IL6 and TNF-alpha). Yet women release more proinflammatory signals than men the next day (such as NF-kappaB). By the evening, inflammation signaling subsides in men but women continue to experience a sustained inflammatory response. In short, men bounce back from short sleep quicker than women on average.
Specific bedtimes may be important because they indicate whether someone may be awake and alert during daylight and sleeping and recovering during the nighttime. This day-to-day alignment creates a stronger circadian rhythm, the 24-hour clock that regulates how our body functions.
Even with adequate sleep, the body is less efficient when activity and rest are not aligned with day and night. Much of this efficiency is driven by hormone patterns that are influenced by time of day. These hormones affect many systems, and are involved appetite, fullness, energy expenditure, and more.
Some research indicates that women and men differ in their circadian rhythm patterns. For example, women are more likely to be “morning types.” A woman’s body initiates sleep-related changes in body temperature slightly earlier in the evening, and they release sleep-promoting hormones (melatonin) earlier, too. These findings help explain why an earlier bedtime could be even more important for women.
How we sleep at night can influence how we feel the next day. When you awaken, do you notice how you feel and relate it to how you slept the night before? Treo can support healthier sleep habits by helping you address areas related to rest and recovery. Our whole-person platform delivers personalized tools to help members shift bedtimes earlier and protect their recovery window.
With resilience practices and stress management techniques, members can try methods such as breathwork, body scans, gentle movement, and ease the nighttime arousal that delays sleep. Sleep stories, gentle weather tracks, and noise generators are popular options to create soothing bedtime rituals and practices.
Tracking tools are also available to help members monitor how their daily habits influence how they feel. One-on-one support is also available from a certified wellness coach, helping members build sustainable routines tailored to their real lives.
Treo helps transform daily routines into power foundations for not only heart health but also overall wellbeing.
Interested in trying it for yourself? Sign up today to discover your healthier lifestyle.
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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