Sleep is the foundation of good health, but in today’s hectic lifestyle, it often takes a backseat. What begins as a fixed 9 PM bedtime in childhood gradually evolves into erratic sleep patterns as the demands of work, social life, and other factors creep in. Somewhere along the way, sleep shifts from being a necessity to something optional, secondary with everything else taking up the attention, and especially with no particular bedtime. A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health revealed that this is a severe health hazard and can even be life-threatening for you.

Risks associated with irregular sleep

Even if you are getting quality sleep with a good 7-8 hours of sleep, irregular bedtime, going to bed whenever it deems fit is not a good idea. The study revealed that it found a strong connection between an irregular sleep schedule and an increased risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart disease and stroke. Everyone's concerned about how many hours of sleep one’s getting, but when you are going to bed is equally important. The researchers said, “Our results suggest that sleep regularity may be more relevant than sufficient sleep duration in modulating MACE [major adverse cardiovascular event] risk.”

Irregular sleep patterns raise cardiovascular risks by 26%

The study examined 72,269 people aged 40 to 79. They wore an activity tracker for one week to assess their sleep patterns and had no history of heart disease or stroke. The tracker calculated the Sleep Regularity Index score, with scores of 87 and higher indicating regular sleep patterns and scores lower than 72 indicating irregular sleep patterns. Over the years, the researchers monitored incidents of heart attacks and strokes and found that irregular sleepers were 26% more likely to experience a major cardiovascular event than those who went to bed at approximately the same time every night.

The study also found that those who maintained a regular bedtime were more likely to get the recommended hours of sleep compared to those with irregular sleep patterns. Moreover, trying to catch up on lost sleep did not reduce the cardiovascular risks for those with irregular sleep patterns. So, there’s no remedy or recovery if you frequently have an irregular bedtime. Sleeping for 8 hours won't rule out the consequences of irregular bedtime. Start prioritising sleep to stay healthy, and this starts by going to bed on time regularly.

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