Staying up late we know is not good for you but researchers have now found a best time to go to sleep, and that’s between 10 PM and 11 PM, according to a study published in European Heart Journal-Digital Health.

The study reviewed over 88,000 participants from the UK Biobank recruited from 2006-2010 with an average follow up time of 5.7 years, utilizing electronic tracking and self-reporting questionnaires. They were then followed for new diagnoses suggestive of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks, hear failure, chronic ischemic heart disease, transient ischemic attacks, and strokes. During this time of follow up, approximately 3.6% developed heart disease.

Those who slept between 10 PM and 11 PM had the lowest chance of developing heart disease compared to those who slept before 10 PM or after 11 PM. The highest risk of developing cardiovascular disease were for those who slept after midnight at 25%. Sleeping between 11 PM and 12 AM, had a 12% greater risk. And falling asleep before 10 PM lead to a 24% greater risk.

The study controlled for multiple variables including: age, sex, sleep duration, sleep irregularity, smoking status, self-identified chronotype, smoking status, diabetes, blood pressure, BMI, socioeconomic status, and blood cholesterol.

Author Dr. David Plans stated,””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.”

The study suggest that one should go to bed regularly and more often than not between the times of 10 PM and 11 PM, and avoid sleeping after midnight on a regular basis and as much as possible.

S Nikbakhtian et al. Accelerometer-derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease incidence: a UK Biobank cohort study. European Heart Journal-Digital Health. published online 09 November 2021. ztab088