Heart attack: New study finds the exact time to go to sleep to help reduce your risk

What's the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?

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Complications of a heart attack can be serious and possibly life threatening hence the reason one needs to do all they can to help lower their risk.

Researchers analysed roughly 88,000 volunteers from the UK Biobank and found that people who regularly go to sleep between 10pm and 11pm improved their heart health.

It was also found that those who went to bed before 10pm had a 24 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

While the study, which was published in the European Heart Journal, does show a link between the “optimum bedtime” and cardiovascular disease, it cannot prove whether or not going to sleep early or late contributes to the risk.

Co-author of the study, Dr David Plans, University of Exeter, said the link between a sleep onset time of between 10pm and 11pm and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, could be the result of reduced disruption to the body clock.

It was also found that those who went to bed before 10pm had a 24 per cent increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

While more research is needed, people who habitually go to bed between 10pm and 11pm have a lower risk of developing heart disease, according to the authors of the new study.

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Most adults need between six and nine hours of sleep every night, according to the NHS.

Long-term sleep deprivation is associated with a higher heart rate, high blood pressure and increased levels of some chemicals linked to inflammation and additional strain on the heart.

Lacking in the sleep department is said to also affect a person’s overall mood and waistline.

Sleep and other health conditions

Another study found too much sleep and too little sleep, have been linked to health outcomes including cognitive decline.

Researchers recorded participants’ cognitive function over several years and analysed it against levels of Alzheimer’s-related proteins and brain activity measured during sleep.

Brendan Lucey, the study’s first author and associate professor of neurology, said: “It’s been challenging to determine how sleep and different stages of Alzheimer’s disease are related, but that’s what you need to know to start designing interventions.

“Short and long sleep times were associated with worse cognitive performance, perhaps due to insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality.”

Lower your risk

Eating an unhealthy diet that is high in fat is absolute no-no, according to the NHS.

As the health body explains, a high-fat diet will make hardening of the arteries worse and increase your risk of a heart attack.

Instead, you should aim to follow a Mediterranean-style diet, which is high in unsaturated fat, says the health body.

A Mediterranean-style diet consists of eating more bread, fruit, vegetables and fish, and less meat.

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