Sleep is increasingly viewed as an important component of overall health.
In addition to diet and exercise, researchers are now exploring whether circadian rhythm may play a role in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
A new study highlights differences between early risers and night owls.
The research is based on data from the UK Biobank, which includes more than 300,000 middle-aged and older participants.
Also read: Doctors outline symptoms linked to high vitamin D intake
The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and reported by HealthDay.
What do the numbers show?
Participants were categorized according to when they preferred to go to bed.
A smaller group described themselves as pronounced night owls, while others were early risers or fell somewhere in between.
According to the researchers, night owls more frequently received a poorer overall assessment of their heart health.
Also read: New obesity drug shows up to 22 percent weight loss
Study researcher Sina Kianersi of Brigham and Women’s Hospital explained in a press release that night owls generally had less healthy habits.
Risk and explanation
Only after a follow-up period of around 14 years did differences in health outcomes become apparent.
Night owls had a higher risk of heart attack and stroke than people with more conventional sleep habits. Early risers, by contrast, fared slightly better.
The study also shows that approximately 75 percent of the increased risk among night owls could be explained by lifestyle factors, as they tended to smoke more and have poorer diets.
Also read: WHO assesses risk after deadly virus cases detected
The effect was more pronounced in women than in men.
Sources: HealthDay, and Journal of the American Heart Association.
Also read: New study: 39 percent of two-year-olds with the most screen time had behavioral problems