Missing your bedtime by even 30 minutes can have a disastrous impact on health

Does your bedtime vary day to day? Maybe you’re trying to squeeze in a little more work or TV time? Figure you can “catch up” on the weekend? Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Here’s the science.

According to a new paper published in the npj Digital Medicine journal, routinely going to sleep half an hour after your regular bedtime can significantly increase your risk of experiencing a cardiovascular problem later in life — and even early death. This may be due to the way irregular sleep patterns influence one’s resting heart rate (RHR).

You can check your RHR by placing two fingers on your wrist or neck. Then count the number of beats in 15 seconds. You’ll get the most accurate RHR read when you get out of bed in the morning.

Healthy adults should have an RHR that ranges between 60 and 80 beats per minute. Lower RHRs are associated with efficient cardiovascular function. Champion cyclist Miguel Indurain reportedly had a resting heart rate of just 28 beats per minute in his heyday.

“These observations stress the importance of maintaining proper sleep habits, beyond sleep duration, as high variability in bedtimes may be detrimental to one’s cardiovascular health,” the authors wrote in the new paper.

Going to bed earlier than usual has fewer risks

While super-fit adults might have an RHR closer to 40 beats per minute, those with cardiovascular problems may detect an RHR closer to 90 or above.

In order to conduct the latest report, the team analyzed Fitbit data recorded from 557 college students over the course of four years. The study sample recorded a collective 255,736 sleep sessions including assessing bedtimes, sleep, and RHR.

Participants who slept between one and 30 minutes later than their normal bedtime experienced dramatic increases in their RHR. The later the bedtime the higher the RHR. This was even true for respondents who got seven hours of sleep. Increased RHR carried into the following day for these participants.

It should be noted that those who went to bed earlier than their regular bedtime also experienced increased RHR but only if the disparity exceeded 60 minutes. Still, early sleepers did not experience an increased RHR the following day like their late sleeping counterparts.

More exercise and weight loss, less stress

In another study conducted by researchers at Harvard University, it was determined that people whose RHR rose from under 70 to more than 85 during the study period were 90% more likely to have died before its end.

In addition to maintaining a regular sleep schedule, the Harvard researchers recommend exercising, abstaining from tobacco products, losing weight if necessary, and avoiding stress in order to keep RHR rates where they ought to be.

“Many factors influence your resting heart rate. Genes play a role. Aging tends to speed it up. Regular exercise tends to slow your heart rate down,” the researchers wrote. “Stress, medications, and medical conditions also influence your resting heart rate.”