You may have heard how important it is to get your eight hours of sleep per night, but depending on when you need to get up in the morning, this isn't always possible.
Many of us are still trying to work out the perfect bedtime in order to wake up refreshed, but now it's finally been revealed.
Going to bed between 10pm and 11pm is the ‘golden hour’ to best reduce your risk of dying from heart attack or stroke, new research suggests.
British academics tracked 88,000 study participants and found those who went to bed after midnight had a 25% higher chance of developing a host of health conditions.
They were cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack, heart failure, chronic ischaemic heart disease, stroke and transient ischaemic attack.
The link between late nights and poor health was stronger for women than men, according to the study which was published in the European Heart Journal.
Author Dr David Plans, of Exeter University, said: “The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning.
“While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.”
Data on 88,026 people aged 43 to 79 who had been recruited between 2006 and 2010 was analysed by the researchers.
Participants were asked to wear an accelerometer on their wrist for seven days so the researchers could monitor their sleep and wake up times.
They also complete assessments and questionnaires about their demographic, health and lifestyle choices.
People who went to bed after midnight had a 25% higher chance of developing one of the conditions compared to those who hit the hay between 10:00pm to 10:59pm.
Getting to bed before 10:00pm raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by 24% and by 12% for those who nodded off between 11:00pm and 11:59pm.
Dr Plans said: “Our study indicates that the optimum time to go to sleep is at a specific point in the body’s 24-hour cycle and deviations may be detrimental to health.
“The riskiest time was after midnight, potentially because it may reduce the likelihood of seeing morning light, which resets the body clock.”
Still looking for other ways to sleep better? One thing that could help is avoiding stressful tasks in the evening.
We have previously shared six other tips for better sleep, including when not to eat dinner.
