Staying up late may strain the heart, especially among youths, but better sleep and healthier habits could help night owls fight back, scientists have warned youths.
Youths and adults in middle age who tend to be more active at night were found to have worse cardiovascular health later in their lives than those who sleep well at night.
This appeared to be stronger among women, according to new research published on Friday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers examined health data from more than 300,000 adults (average age of about 57 years) enrolled in the UK Biobank. The analysis focused on chronotypes, which describe a person’s natural preference for sleep and wake timing, and how those preferences relate to cardiovascular health.
Participants were grouped based on their self-identified daily patterns. About 8% described themselves as “definitely night people,” meaning they typically went to bed very late (for example 2 a.m.) and reached peak activity later in the day.
Around 24% reported being “definitely morning people,” who tended to wake up earlier, go to bed earlier (for example 9 p.m.), and be most active earlier in the day.
The remaining 67% were categorised as having an “intermediate” chronotype if they were unsure or said they were neither clearly a morning or evening person.
Cardiovascular health was evaluated using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential metrics. This framework looks at behaviors and health factors known to support heart health, including eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, not smoking, and getting good-quality sleep.
It also includes maintaining healthy levels of body weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure
The researchers identified several notable patterns when comparing chronotype groups:
Compared with people in the intermediate category, those classified as “night people,” often called night owls, were 79% more likely to have an overall poor cardiovascular health score.
Night owls also had a 16% higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke during a median follow-up period of about 14 years.
The link between evening chronotype and lower heart health scores was stronger among women than among men.
Much of the increased heart disease risk seen in night types was linked to lifestyle habits, particularly nicotine use and insufficient sleep.
In contrast, “morning people,” also known as early birds, showed a 5% lower prevalence of poor cardiovascular health scores compared with individuals without a strong morning or evening preference.
“Night people often experience circadian misalignment, meaning their internal body clock may not match the natural day-to-night light cycle or their typical daily schedules,” said lead study author, SinaKianersi, a research fellow in the division of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, United States..
“Night people may be more likely to have behaviours that can affect cardiovascular health, such as poorer diet quality, smoking and inadequate or irregular sleep,” he added.
This misalignment may make it harder for night owls to maintain habits that support long-term heart health.
The findings are not entirely discouraging for people who prefer late nights, according to Kristen Knutson, volunteer chair of the 2025 American Heart Association statement, Role of Circadian Health in Cardiometabolic Health and Disease Risk. Knutson was not involved in the study.
“These findings show that the higher heart disease risks among night types are partly due to modifiable behaviours such as smoking and sleep. Therefore, night types have options to improve their cardiovascular health,” she said.
“Evening types aren’t inherently less healthy, but they face challenges that make it particularly important for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
The American Heart Association scientific statement led by Knutson also recommends taking chronotype into account when planning treatment or lifestyle interventions.
“Some medications or therapies work best when they align with a specific time of relevant circadian rhythms, and this time will vary depending on whether you are a morning, intermediate, or evening chronotype,” she said.
“Targeted programmes for people who naturally stay up late could help them improve their lifestyle behaviors and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.”
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