FALLING asleep at different times each night could put you more at risk of killer heart attacks and strokes, scientists have warned.
Having an in irregular sleep pattern of just a few hours increases the chances of developing the conditions, they said.
GettyExperts said people should improve their sleep to look after their heart health[/caption]
Their study tracked the sleep patterns against the heart attack and stroke rate of 2,000 US adults for three years.
It found the risk of a heart attack rose by 140 per cent for those with irregular sleep patterns of over just two hours within a week.
They also found the chances of having a stroke increased by 120 per cent in those who had an irregular sleep patterns of over just two hours within a week.
Lead author, Kelsie Full of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said people should improve their sleep to look after their heart health.
She said: “Maintaining regular sleep schedules and decreasing variability in sleep is an easily adjustable lifestyle behaviour that can not only help improve sleep, but also help reduce cardiovascular risk for aging adults.”
Cardiovascular disease is the broad term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels and is one of the main causes of death and disability in Britain.
Around 7.6million Brits are living with the conditions, which kill around 460 people a day.
The conditions include heart attacks — when blood to the heart is blocked by cholesterol build-ups — and strokes, when this occurs with blood to the brain.
High blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, being overweight and not exercising enough all increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at the link between the conditions and sleep patterns.
Researchers tracked the sleep patterns against the heart attack and stroke rate of 2,000 US adults for three years.
Previous studies have linked poor sleep to several other life-threatening conditions, including hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.