Staying up late is very common among people. However, a recent Swedish study further confirms the importance of maintaining a regular schedule. The study shows that people who frequently stay up late have almost twice the risk of coronary artery calcification compared to those who go to bed and wake up early.
This study analyzed data from 771 participants aged 50 to 64, excluding those with a history of heart disease. The average age of the participants was 57.6 years, and 47.3% were male. All participants underwent coronary CT angiography to assess the degree of coronary artery calcification.
The study found that 29% of this middle-aged population had significant coronary artery calcification. Among those who went to bed and woke up early, 22.2% had significant coronary artery calcification, whereas this proportion was as high as 40.8% among frequent late-night sleepers.
After considering confounding factors affecting coronary artery calcification, further analysis revealed that, compared to the early-to-bed and early-to-rise group, the risk of coronary artery calcification increased by 90% for those who frequently stayed up very late.
The study suggests that circadian rhythms seem to be particularly important for the heart and blood vessels in the early stages of disease. Frequent late-night activity may be related to coronary artery calcification and the process leading to arterial calcification.
