Sleep Duration Linked to Heart Disease Risk and Weight Management

Adequate sleep is essential for cardiovascular health. Chronic short sleep (under five hours) raises oxidative stress, damages the endothelial lining of blood vessels and promotes atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of coronary disease, heart attacks, heart failure and strokes. Excessive sleep (over nine hours) is also associated with higher cardiovascular risk. Health experts therefore recommend about seven hours of nightly sleep for adults, while children and infants need considerably more.

A recent study of roughly 300 women from New Zealand found that those who naturally follow a morning chronotype – sleeping early and rising early – tend to have lower body weight, less abdominal fat and more favorable metabolic markers than night‑type individuals. Morning risers consume a larger share of their calories before 10 a.m., eat a more balanced breakfast and show lower BMI and blood‑sugar levels, whereas night owls shift most of their intake to late evening, resulting in higher BMI (average 31.4) and poorer nutrient profiles.