Irregular sleep patterns may double heart attack risk, study finds

A new study from the University of Oulu suggests that inconsistent bedtimes and varying sleep schedules could significantly increase the risk of serious cardiovascular diseases in middle age, including heart and brain infarcts.

Researchers found the risk was particularly elevated among those sleeping fewer than eight hours per night, with irregular sleepers facing up to twice the risk of heart events compared to those with regular sleep patterns. The study noted that irregular wake-up times, however, did not show the same correlation with increased risk.

The findings are based on data from over 3,200 participants born in 1966 in northern Finland. Their sleep rhythms were measured for one week using activity trackers at age 46, followed by more than a decade of health monitoring.