Burning The Midnight Oil Could Be Bad For Your Heart Says New Study

Early to bed, early to rise…there’s new research showing that burning the midnight oil could be bad for your heart.

A study in the UK found that middle-aged and older adults who are more active in the evenings tended to have worse cardiovascular health than people who are more active in the daytime.

Night owls’ unhealthy behaviors like poor diet, insufficient sleep, and smoking may be the reason for the disparity.

More from CBS News:

Night owls are more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, warns new research.

People who stay up late and are active at night – particularly women – tend to have poor cardiovascular health scores compared to those with more typical sleep-wake timing, according to the findings.

The study showed that middle-aged and older adults who are naturally more active in the evenings are at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke, compared to people without a strong morning or evening preference.

Unhealthy habits among night owls – such as poor diet quality, insufficient sleep and smoking – may account for their lower cardiovascular health profile, according to analysis of data from over 300,000 British adults.

But helping them improve their lifestyle may lower their risk for heart attack and stroke, say scientists.

Researchers reviewed health data for more than 300,000 adults with an average age of around 57 participating in the UK Biobank medical database to assess how “chronotypes” – a person’s natural preference for sleep-wake timing – impacted their cardiovascular health.

Around one-in-12 participants said they were “definitely evening people” – which was characterized as having a late-night bedtime, such as 2am, and peak activity later in the day.