los peligros de dormir temprano de forma ineficaz para la salud

Expert reviewer: Mo Dapeng, chief physician of the Neurovascular Intervention Center at Tiantan Hospital of Peking University Health Science Center, professor and doctoral thesis director.

Today, I told myself that I definitely had to go to bed early. So I lay down early, closed my eyes, but found myself tossing and turning without being able to sleep. After much effort, I finally fell asleep, but when I woke up the next day, I felt very tired, even more so than after a night of staying up late. Why does this happen? Isn't going to bed early good for you?

Going to bed too early increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Going to sleep between 10 and 11 pm is the best for cardiovascular health.

Previous research has found a clear connection between 'bedtime' and cardiovascular disease risk; both sleeping too early and too late are detrimental to health.

This study selected nearly 90,000 participants aged between 43 and 79 years, and during an average follow-up of 5.7 years, 3,172 of them developed cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, heart failure, chronic ischemic heart disease, stroke, and transient ischemic attack.

Researchers have found that those who sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 pm...

1. Sleeping before 10 pm: increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 24%;

Sleeping between 11:00 and 12:00 am increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 12%.

Sleeping from 12:00 am or later increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 25%.

The timing of sleep onset and the risk of cardiovascular disease show a 'U'-shaped relationship. According to human sleep patterns, the cardiovascular risk reaches its lowest point between 10:00 and 10:59 pm. Sleeping too early or too late increases the risk of disease.

Research findings.

Sleeping 6 to 9 hours a night is most beneficial for heart health.

A 2019 study involving nearly 500,000 participants showed results that differ from previous observational studies. Even among non-smokers who exercise regularly and do not have a genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease, the risk of heart disease increases simply due to insufficient or excessive sleep.

Studies have found that, compared to those who sleep between 6 and 9 hours each night:

People who sleep less than 6 hours are 20% more likely to suffer a heart attack during the study period.

People who sleep more than 9 hours a day are 34% more likely to experience a heart attack during the study period.

Therefore, it can be observed that the risk of disease is higher among those who sleep too much compared to those who sleep too little, and the further the sleep time deviates from the 6 to 9-hour range, the greater the risk of heart attacks.

Researchers believe that sleeping 6 to 9 hours each night is the most beneficial duration for heart health.

Going to bed early ineffectively makes you feel more tired.

The problem with going to bed early is that, even if it is still early and the person is not sleepy, they consciously decide to go to sleep.

The human body generally begins to prepare for sleep about two hours before bed, at which point the internal temperature gradually decreases. Prior to this, the internal temperature is the highest of the day, making it hardest to fall asleep. If the body is not ready for sleep, even going to bed early, one is likely to toss and turn and struggle to sleep, affecting the quality of sleep.

I can't sleep, but I keep lying in bed.

Lying in bed for too long can actually exacerbate insomnia. Excessive prolongation of time in bed can disrupt the body's normal biological rhythm. The body is accustomed to sleeping and waking at specific times; if too much time is spent lying down without falling asleep, it can throw off the biological clock, affecting the need for and quality of nighttime sleep. Additionally, staying in bed for long periods without being able to sleep can generate anxiety and irritability, which in turn activates the brain's stress response system, keeping the body in a state of alertness and suppressing the onset of sleep. This creates a vicious cycle where 'the more you want to sleep, the less you succeed, and the less you succeed in sleeping, the more anxiety you feel.'

Regular sleep is more important than sleeping early or late. Maintaining consistent sleep times and sufficient sleep quality is crucial for both physical health and mental state. A regular routine helps to adjust the biological clock, improve sleep quality, and enhance attention and work efficiency in daily life.

The regularity of sleep is more important than the duration and timing of sleep.

Research has found that individuals with more regular schedules present lower cardiovascular metabolic risk, lower stress levels, and even lower overall mortality. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to scan the brain and found that irregular schedules directly disrupt resting state functional connectivity in the brain. Those with deregulated schedules show a significant decrease in connectivity in brain areas responsible for attention and decision-making.

Follow the rhythm + have a regular schedule + sufficient time.

Regardless of what time you went to bed the previous day, get up at the same fixed time the next day to correct the biological clock.

Upon waking, open the curtains immediately, and if possible, go outside to get sunlight for 5 to 10 minutes.

One or two hours before sleeping, dim the lights and put down your phone (or activate eye protection mode).

Try to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, as this timing better aligns with the biological rhythm of most people and is the best time to care for the heart and combat depression.