Tag Archives: heart

These May Be The Best (And Worst) Bedtimes For Heart Health

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Turns out that while some of us have different “chronotypes,” or natural predispositions towards being either night owls or early birds, some research suggests we should all try to nod off before a certain point anyway.

“To age healthily, individuals should start sleeping before 1am, despite chronobiological preferences,” the 2024 paper read.

And a 2021 study published in the European Heart Journal suggested there’s a “golden hour” bedtime for heart health too.

The cohort study, which looked at 88,000 UK Biobank participants who were aged between 43 and 74, monitored participants’ sleep for a week before monitoring their heart health status over an average of 5.7 years.

They found that those who fell asleep between 10-11pm seemed the least likely to develop heart issues in that time.

What may be the best and worst sleep times for heart health?

Those who fell asleep between 11pm and midnight were 12% more likely to develop heart health and circulatory issues during the study.

For those who fell asleep after midnight, that rose to 25%. Those who kipped before 10pm had a 24% increased likelihood of developing heart health issues, too, though the number of people who had this earlier bedtime was small in the study.

And as we shared, 10-11pm seemed to be the bedtime linked to the lowest risk.

Women seemed to be more affected by the discrepancies than men, too.

This, however, was only an observational study. That means that the scientists couldn’t prove that differences in bedtime definitely caused the changes in heart health outcomes – it only showed an association, or link, between the two.

But they did posit that those who fall asleep after midnight might be less likely to see morning light, which we know can help to regulate our body clock.

So, should I definitely go to bed around 10-11pm?

According to Harvard Health, “nontraditional sleep times may disrupt the body’s 24-hour internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which plays a key role in regulating physical functioning”.

And Regina Giblin, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said, “This large study suggests that going to sleep between 10 and 11pm could be the sweet spot for most people to keep their heart healthy long-term.

“Getting enough sleep is important for our general wellbeing as well as our heart and circulatory health, and most adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night.”

But, both warn, this study can’t prove that bedtime itself is definitely the cause of heart issues.

“More research is needed into sleep timing and duration as a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases,” Giblin said.

Sleep is not the only factor that can impact heart health either, she added.

“It’s also important to look at your lifestyle… knowing your numbers such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly, cutting down on salt and alcohol intake, and eating a balanced diet can also help to keep your heart healthy.”

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4 Symptoms A Cardiologist Would Never, Ever Ignore

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Though you might think extreme fatigue, regular headaches, and even unintentional weight loss are nothing out of the ordinary, both a GP and a cancer doctor have previously told HuffPost UK they could signal deeper health issues.

They can reveal everything from anaemia to more serious conditions. The key is to get them checked out to be on the safe side, the experts advised.

And now, cardiologist and scientist Dr Ernst von Schwarz has shared the four signs he’d always see a doctor about, no matter how innocuous you might believe them to be.

These are:

1) Pressure in your chest

“Chest pressure or pain is always suspicious of a lack of oxygen in the heart,” the doctor told us.

Per the NHS, sudden pressure, “squeezing”, or even burning sensations in your chest are worth calling 999 over as they could be a sign of a heart attack.

Even if the pressure or pain comes and goes rather than arriving suddenly, you should still speak to your GP.

2) Shortness of breath when you’re not being active

It’s normal for your breathing to get a little heavy after a jog or in your spin class. But if your breath is laboured when you’re sitting down or doing minimal movement, Dr von Schwartz said that could be a red flag.

“Shortness of breath can have a multitude of causes, from heart failure to ischemia to pulmonary issues such as asthma, COPD or pneumonia, vascular issues such as pulmonary emboli, [or] intoxication, anxiety, and panic attacks, among others,” he shared.

3) Fainting

This is always worth getting checked out, the cardiologist told us.

Also known as “syncopes”, fainting can be caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially in young women, he said.

It can also be “a result of orthostatic dysregulation [low blood pressure after going from sitting or lying down to standing], as in POTS, or [a] lack of oxygen in the brain caused by very low or very high heart rates”.

The NHS said that though it’s likely not serious, you should always see a GP if you’ve fainted.

4) Palpitations lasting longer than five seconds

Palpitations make your heartbeat feel more noticeable. They can present as a “racing,” “thumping,” “fluttering,” or an irregular heartbeat.

Per the NHS, these can last seconds or minutes. But Dr von Schwartz said he’d see a GP if they pass the five-second mark.

That’s because “palpitations can be caused by harmless extra beats or short atrial runs, but also by potential life-threatening ventricular tachycardia,” he said.

Definitely see your doctor if palpitations keep coming back, if they last longer than a few minutes, or if you have a heart condition or a family history of heart conditions.

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Healthy Blood Pressure Changes With Age — Here’s What’s Normal For Each Age Group

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We all hear a lot about blood pressure, but depending on how often you take a trip to your doctor’s, you might not know what yours is.

The term refers to “the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body,” the NHS says (how bad is it that I didn’t know that?).

Low blood pressure isn’t usually a concern, though it can make some of us feel dizzy and sometimes causes fainting.

But high blood pressure “can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, if it’s not treated.”

You can get your blood pressure checked using a blood pressure machine (if you’re over 40, you can get this done for free in participating pharmacies).

Once you get those numbers you might be wondering what’s normal for your age ― and according to the Heart Research Institute, “normal blood pressure varies from person to person” and by age and gender.

These are:

1) Newborns up to 1 month

  • Systolic (top number): 60–90 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 20–60 mm Hg

2) Infants

  • Systolic (top number): 87–105 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 53–66 mm Hg

3) Toddlers

  • Systolic (top number): 95–105 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 53–66 mm Hg

4) Preschoolers

  • Systolic (top number): 95–110 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 56–70 mm Hg

5) School-aged children

  • Systolic (top number): 97–112 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 57–71 mm Hg

6) Adolescents

  • Systolic (top number): 112–128 mm Hg
  • Diastolic (bottom number): 66–80 mm Hg

7) 18–39 years

  • Women: 110/68 mm Hg
  • Men: 119/70 mm Hg

8) 40–59 years

  • Women: 122/74 mm Hg
  • Men: 124/77 mm Hg

9) 60+ years

  • Women: 139/68 mm Hg
  • Men: 133/69 mm Hg

Why does age and gender affect normal blood pressure levels?

According to the National Institute of Aging, “normal” blood pressure levels differ among different age groups because “Your body’s network of blood vessels, known as the vascular system, changes with age.”

“Arteries get stiffer, causing blood pressure to go up,” they add. That’s true even for very health and heart-conscious people.

And “Although the mechanisms responsible for the gender differences in blood pressure control are not clear, there is significant evidence that androgens, such as testosterone, play an important role in gender-associated differences in blood pressure regulation,” a research paper published by the American Heart Association (AHA) says.

The AHA wrote on a separate page that pre-menopausal women tend to have lower blood pressure than men, but added that “after menopause, however, blood pressure increases in women to levels even higher than in men.”

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