How Intermittent Fasting Changes Your Brain
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
We’ve written before about the benefits of intermittent fasting, such as:
- Intermittent Fasting: What’s The Truth?
- 16/8 Intermittent Fasting For Beginners
- Before You Eat Breakfast: 3 Surprising Facts About Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is mostly enjoyed for its metabolic benefits, such as How To Prevent And Reverse Type 2 Diabetes.
We also covered a very related topic, with intermittent fasting once again being on the suggestions list:
Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity! ← this is actually more important even that blood sugar control itself, important as that latter is!
Next, some additional background. This topic (the relationship between intermittent fasting and brain/cognitive health) has been touched on before by one of our guest articles:
Does intermittent fasting have benefits for our brain?
…which detailed several ways it can help, and/but ultimately concluded with a commentary on the need for more research.
Today we’ll spotlight one of those much-needed studies!
From the gut up
As regular 10almonds readers will know, the gut and brain talk to each other, a lot, largely by means of the vagus nerve running between them.
See also: The Brain-Gut Highway: A Two-Way Street
For this reason, intermittent fasting was one of the habits recommended in a book we reviewed a little while back, 7 Healthy Gut Habits For Women Over 40 – by Lara West.
Researchers (Dr. Xiaoling Wu et al.) conducted an experiment whose participants (who were all there with the goal of losing weight) completed a 2-month intermittent fasting program, while Dr. Wu and her team tracked their body composition, blood markers, gut bacteria, and brain activity using fMRI.
The results, at a glance:
- Weight loss:, as expected participants lost an average of 7.6 kg, equivalent to 7.8% of their starting body weight, while reducing body fat and waist circumference.
- Metabolic improvements: blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and liver enzyme activity all decreased, showcasing broader metabolic benefits beyond weight loss.
- Gut microbiome changes: beneficial or obesity-associated bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacteroides uniformis increased, while Escherichia coli (usually known to its friends simply as E. coli) decreased.
- Brain (neurological) changes: activity decreased in several regions linked to appetite, reward, cravings, emotion, learning, and cognitive control, including the inferior frontal orbital gyrus, putamen, and anterior cingulate cortex.
- Gut-brain link, specifically: shifts in specific gut bacteria correlated with changes in brain activity, strongly suggesting that the microbiome and brain adapt together during intermittent fasting-induced weight loss.
As for why this happens this way, gut microbes produce neurotransmitters and other compounds that affect the nervous system, while the brain influences eating behavior and food choices, creating the two-way communication system known as the gut-brain axis, as per our article linked up above.
In practical terms, this means a synergistic effect, that you (or at least, most people, probably including you) can leverage to get all manner of health benefits, at once!
You can read the paper in full, here: Dynamical alterations of brain function and gut microbiome in weight loss
Want to learn more?
You might like this book that we reviewed; we recommend it:
Complete Guide To Fasting – By Dr. Jason Fung
Enjoy!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Body on Fire – by Dr. Monica Aggarwal and Dr. Jyothi Rao
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
There are times when you do really need a doctor, not a dietician. But there are also times when a doctor will prescribe something for the symptom, leaving the underlying issue untouched. If only there were a way to have the best of both worlds!
That’s where Drs. Rao and Aggarwal come in. They’re both medical doctors… with a keen interest in nutrition and healthy lifestyle changes to make us less sick such that we have less need to go to the doctor at all.
Best of all, they understand—while some things are true for everyone—there’s not a one-size-fits all diet or exercise regime or even sleep setup.
So instead, they take us hand-in-hand (chapter by chapter!) through the various parts of our life (including our diet) that might need tweaking. Each of these changes, if taken up, promise a net improvement that becomes synergistic with the other changes. There’s a degree of biofeedback involved, and listening to your body, to be sure of what’s really best for you, not what merely should be best for you on paper.
The writing style is accessible while science-heavy. They don’t assume prior knowledge, and/but they sure deliver a lot. The book is more text than images, but there are plenty of medical diagrams, explanations, charts, and the like. You will feed like a medical student! And it’s very much worth studying.
Bottom line: highly recommendable even if you don’t have inflammation issues, and worth its weight in gold if you do.
Share This Post
-
Some US protein powders contain high levels of lead. Can I tell if mine is safe?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
This week, the United States non-profit Consumer Reports released its investigation testing 23 protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes from popular brands to see if they contained heavy metals.
More than two-thirds of the products contained more lead in a recommended serving size serving than the Californian guidlines recommend in a day: 0.5 micrograms (mcg or µg).
Protein powders and shakes are most commonly used to build muscle. But some people may use it in a weight-loss program as a meal replacement, or to gain back weight lost after an illness or injury.
Some products Consumer Reports tested were plant-based, some were labelled as organic and some used animal and dairy-based protein. Only one product didn’t contain detectable levels of lead.
So what does this mean for people who use protein powder? And what’s the situation in Australia?
whitebalance.space/Getty Images Lead has been found in protein powder before
Consumer Reports found lead levels increased since its last report in 2010. One product contained twice as much lead per serving than the worst performer in 2010.
A separate investigation in 2018 which analysed 130 protein powders available on Amazon found 70% had heavy metals in them.
Another analysis of 36 protein powders in 2021 found lead levels ranged from 0.8-88.4 mcg per kilogram of product. Consuming a single 20 gram serve a day, would mean a range of intake of 0.016 mcg to 1.77 mcg.
How does lead get into these products?
Lead comes from both natural sources (such as volcanic activity and chemical weathering of rocks) and human-made sources (such as leaded petrol, industrial processes and paint). This results in crops absorbing lead and the metal entering the food and water supply.
In US government testing from 2014 to 2016, 27% of all food samples (2,923) had lead detected in them.
In Australia, testing in 2019 found that of the 508 food samples, 15% had detectable levels of lead. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) modelling suggests this would result in an average lead intake of 0.018–0.16 mcg per kg a day across different age groups. For a 70kg person, this would range from 1.26 to 11.2 mcg per day from food and drinks.
Lead can also be inhaled as dust from industrial processes such as mining smelters or by inhaling (or licking) fragments of lead-rich paint when handling old lead toys or other lead equipment, or from consuming or coming into contact with contaminated water or soil.
How can lead affect your health?
Lead provides no health benefits. It’s harmful to the body and can damage nearly every organ system.
Its greatest impact is on the brain and nervous system. For children, this can lead to impaired cognitive and physical development, learning disabilities and behavioural problems.
With high levels of lead exposure, adults are at increased risk of anaemia, joint pain, kidney damage and nerve damage leading to tingling, numbness and muscle weakness.
During pregnancy, lead can be transmitted to the fetus, leading to complications such as premature birth, low birth weight and developmental issues in the baby. It’s also a concern for breastfeeding mothers, as some lead can be transmitted through the breast milk.
Lead has also been listed as a possible carcinogen, or cause of cancer, by International Agency for Research on Cancer.
As levels increase in the blood, health concerns grow. Very high levels in the blood (above 120 mcg per decilitre) can cause death.
What do other guidelines say is a safe level of lead?
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) concludes there is no set safe level of lead in your diet. You should aim to consume as little as possible to avoid health impacts.
The NHRMC recommends blood levels, which take into account all exposures, should be below 5 mcg per decilitre of blood. (But Australia doesn’t have a daily limit.)
In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration updated its maximum safe dietary lead levels to 2.2 mcg a day for children and 8.8 mcg a day for women of childbearing age. This is much higher than the Californian levels Consumer Reports used.
Using the FDA levels, all the products Consumer Reports tested could be consumed daily for adults – but this doesn’t account for exposure from other foods or the environment.
Should we be concerned in Australia?
Most of the products Consumer Reports tested are available for purchase online, and may possibly be available in stores.
There is no data on lead levels in protein powder sourced and manufactured in Australia.
So there is no way of knowing whether your protein supplement has lead in it, unless you get a chemical analysis done through an accredited laboratory as Consumer Reports did.
So should I limit my intake?
Probably, but not just because of concerns about lead.
We simply don’t know how much lead is in each scoop of protein powder, so it’s difficult to make recommendations about whether these products are safe to use daily. Levels will vary between products and even between containers. Occasional use is likely to be safe, but using it daily or more often could lead to unsafe intakes of lead.
It’s also important to remember that your blood levels will also be affected by environmental exposures and other foods.
But most of us don’t need extra protein, even if we’re training. Around 99% of Australians already meet their protein requirements.
It’s better to consume protein from whole foods, and you’ll get the benefits of other nutrients as well:
- dairy products also contain calcium and vitamin B12
- fermented dairy such as yoghurt and cheese also contains probiotics
- fish has omega-3 fats
- red meat contains iron and zinc
- lentils, beans and nuts give you antioxidants and fibre.
All these nutrients are equally important for our good health and are less likely to be concentrated sources of heavy metals such as lead.
Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South Australia
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Share This Post
-
Needle Pain Is a Big Problem for Kids. One California Doctor Has a Plan.
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Almost all new parents go through it: the distress of hearing their child scream at the doctor’s office. They endure the emotional torture of having to hold their child down as the clinician sticks them with one vaccine after another.
“The first shots he got, I probably cried more than he did,” said Remy Anthes, who was pushing her 6-month-old son, Dorian, back and forth in his stroller in Oakland, California.
“The look in her eyes, it’s hard to take,” said Jill Lovitt, recalling how her infant daughter Jenna reacted to some recent vaccines. “Like, ‘What are you letting them do to me? Why?’”
Some children remember the needle pain and quickly start to internalize the fear. That’s the fear Julia Cramer witnessed when her 3-year-old daughter, Maya, had to get blood drawn for an allergy test at age 2.
“After that, she had a fear of blue gloves,” Cramer said. “I went to the grocery store and she saw someone wearing blue gloves, stocking the vegetables, and she started freaking out and crying.”
Pain management research suggests that needle pokes may be children’s biggest source of pain in the health care system. The problem isn’t confined to childhood vaccinations either. Studies looking at sources of pediatric pain have included children who are being treated for serious illness, have undergone heart surgeries or bone marrow transplants, or have landed in the emergency room.
“This is so bad that many children and many parents decide not to continue the treatment,” said Stefan Friedrichsdorf, a specialist at the University of California-San Francisco’s Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, speaking at the End Well conference in Los Angeles in November.
The distress of needle pain can follow children as they grow and interfere with important preventive care. It is estimated that a quarter of all adults have a fear of needles that began in childhood. Sixteen percent of adults refuse flu vaccinations because of a fear of needles.
Friedrichsdorf said it doesn’t have to be this bad. “This is not rocket science,” he said.
He outlined simple steps that clinicians and parents can follow:
- Apply an over-the-counter lidocaine, which is a numbing cream, 30 minutes before a shot.
- Breastfeed babies, or give them a pacifier dipped in sugar water, to comfort them while they’re getting a shot.
- Use distractions like teddy bears, pinwheels, or bubbles to divert attention away from the needle.
- Don’t pin kids down on an exam table. Parents should hold children in their laps instead.
At Children’s Minnesota, Friedrichsdorf practiced the “Children’s Comfort Promise.” Now he and other health care providers are rolling out these new protocols for children at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland. He’s calling it the “Ouchless Jab Challenge.”
If a child at UCSF needs to get poked for a blood draw, a vaccine, or an IV treatment, Friedrichsdorf promises, the clinicians will do everything possible to follow these pain management steps.
“Every child, every time,” he said.
It seems unlikely that the ouchless effort will make a dent in vaccine hesitancy and refusal driven by the anti-vaccine movement, since the beliefs that drive it are often rooted in conspiracies and deeply held. But that isn’t necessarily Friedrichsdorf’s goal. He hopes that making routine health care less painful can help sway parents who may be hesitant to get their children vaccinated because of how hard it is to see them in pain. In turn, children who grow into adults without a fear of needles might be more likely to get preventive care, including their yearly flu shot.
In general, the onus will likely be on parents to take a leading role in demanding these measures at medical centers, Friedrichsdorf said, because the tolerance and acceptance of children’s pain is so entrenched among clinicians.
Diane Meier, a palliative care specialist at Mount Sinai, agrees. She said this tolerance is a major problem, stemming from how doctors are usually trained.
“We are taught to see pain as an unfortunate, but inevitable side effect of good treatment,” Meier said. “We learn to repress that feeling of distress at the pain we are causing because otherwise we can’t do our jobs.”
During her medical training, Meier had to hold children down for procedures, which she described as torture for them and for her. It drove her out of pediatrics. She went into geriatrics instead and later helped lead the modern movement to promote palliative care in medicine, which became an accredited specialty in the United States only in 2006.
Meier said she thinks the campaign to reduce needle pain and anxiety should be applied to everyone, not just to children.
“People with dementia have no idea why human beings are approaching them to stick needles in them,” she said. And the experience can be painful and distressing.
Friedrichsdorf’s techniques would likely work with dementia patients, too, she said. Numbing cream, distraction, something sweet in the mouth, and perhaps music from the patient’s youth that they remember and can sing along to.
“It’s worthy of study and it’s worthy of serious attention,” Meier said.
This article is from a partnership that includes KQED, NPR, and KFF Health News.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.
USE OUR CONTENT
This story can be republished for free (details).
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.
Subscribe to KFF Health News’ free Morning Briefing.
Share This Post
Related Posts
-
Cordyceps: Friend Or Foe?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Cordyceps: friend or foe?
Cordyceps is a famously frightening fungus. It’s the one responsible for “zombie ants” and other zombie creatures, and it’s the basis for the existential threat to humanity in the TV show The Last of Us.
It’s a parasitic fungus that controls the central and peripheral nervous systems of its host, slowly replacing the host’s body, as well as growing distinctive spines that erupt out of the host’s body. Taking over motor functions, it compels the host to do two main things, which are to eat more food, and climb to a position that will be good to release spores from.
Fortunately, none of that matters to humans. Cordyceps does not (unlike in the TV show) affect humans that way.
What does Cordyceps do in humans?
Cordyceps (in various strains) is enjoyed as a health supplement, based on a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and nowadays it’s coming under a scientific spotlight too.
The main health claims for it are:
- Against inflammation
- Against aging
- Against cancer
- For blood sugar management
- For heart health
- For exercise performance
Sounds great! What does the science say?
There’s a lot more science for the first three (which are all closely related to each other, and often overlapping in mechanism and effect).
So let’s take a look:
Against inflammation
The science looks promising for this, but studies so far have either been in vitro (cell cultures in petri dishes), or else murine in vivo (mouse studies), for example:
- Anti-inflammatory effects of Cordyceps mycelium in murine macrophages
- Cordyceps sinensis as an immunomodulatory agent
- Immunomodulatory functions of extracts from Cordyceps cicadae
- Cordyceps pruinosa inhibits in vitro and in vivo inflammatory mediators
In summary: we can see that it has anti-inflammatory properties for mice and in the lab; we’d love to see the results of studies done on humans, though. Also, while it has anti-inflammatory properties, it performed less well than commonly-prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, for example:
❝C. militaris can modulate airway inflammation in asthma, but it is less effective than prednisolone or montelukast.❞
Against aging
Because examining the anti-aging effects of a substance requires measuring lifespans and repeating the experiment, anti-aging studies do not tend to be done on humans, because they would take lifetimes to perform. To this end, it’s inconvenient, but not a criticism of Cordyceps, that studies have been either mouse studies (short lifespan, mammals like us) or fruit fly studies (very short lifespan, genetically surprisingly similar to us).
The studies have had positive results, with typical lifespan extensions of 15–20%:
- The lifespan-extending effect of Cordyceps sinensis in normal mice
- Cordyceps sinensis oral liquid prolongs the lifespan of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster
- Anti-aging activity of polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris
- Anti-aging effect of Cordyceps sinensis extract
Against cancer
Once again, the studies here have been in vitro, or murine in vivo. They do look good though:
In vitro (human cell cultures in a lab):
In vivo (mouse studies):
Summary of these is: Cordyceps quite reliably inhibits tumor growth in vitro (human cell cultures) and in vivo (mouse studies). However, trials in human cancer patients are so far conspicuous by their absence.
For blood sugar management
Cordyceps appears to mimic the action of insulin, without triggering insulin sensitivity. For example:
The anti-hyperglycemic activity of the fruiting body of Cordyceps in diabetic rats
There were some other rat/mouse studies with similar results. No studies in humans yet.
For heart health
Cordyceps contains adenosine. You may remember that caffeine owes part of its stimulant effect to blocking adenosine, the hormone that makes us feel sleepy. So in this way, Cordyceps partially does the opposite of what caffeine does, and may be useful against arrhythmia:
Cardiovascular protection of Cordyceps sinensis act partially via adenosine receptors
For exercise performance
A small (30 elderly participants) study found that Cordyceps supplementation improved VO2 max by 7% over the course of six weeks:
However, another small study (22 young athletes) failed to reproduce those results:
Cordyceps Sinensis supplementation does not improve endurance exercise performance
In summary…
Cordyceps almost certainly has anti-inflammation, anti-aging, and anti-cancer benefits.
Cordyceps may have other benefits too, but the evidence is thinner on the ground for those, so far.
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
What is ‘breathwork’? And do I need to do it?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
From “breathwork recipes” to breathing techniques, many social media and health websites are recommending breathwork to reduce stress.
But breathwork is not new. Rather it is the latest in a long history of breathing techniques such as Pranayama from India and qigong from China. Such practices have been used for thousands of years to promote a healthy mind and body.
The benefits can be immediate and obvious. Try taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhaling slowly. Do you feel a little calmer?
So, what’s the difference between the breathing we do to keep us alive and breathwork?
Taras Grebinets/Shutterstock Breathwork is about control
Breathwork is not the same as other mindfulness practices. While the latter focus on observing the breath, breathwork is about controlling inhalation and exhalation.
Normally, breathing happens automatically via messages from the brain, outside our conscious control. But we can control our breath, by directing the movement of our diaphragm and mouth.
The diaphragm is a large muscle that separates our thoracic (chest) and abdominal (belly) cavities. When the diaphragm contracts, it expands the thoracic cavity and pulls air into the lungs.
Controlling how deep, how often, how fast and through what (nose or mouth) we inhale is the crux of breathwork, from fire breathing to the humming bee breath.
Breathwork can calm or excite
Even small bits of breathwork can have physical and mental health benefits and complete the stress cycle to avoid burnout.
Calming breathwork includes diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, slow breathing, pausing between breaths, and specifically slowing down the exhale.
In diaphragmatic breathing, you consciously contract your diaphragm down into your abdomen to inhale. This pushes your belly outwards and makes your breathing deeper and slower.
You can also slow the breath by doing:
- box breathing (count to four for each of four steps: breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold), or
- coherent breathing (controlled slow breathing of five or six breaths per minute), or
- alternate nostril breathing (close the left nostril and breathe in slowly through the right nostril, then close the right nostril and breathe out slowly through the left nostril, then repeat the opposite way).
You can slow down the exhalation specifically by counting, humming or pursing your lips as you breathe out.
In contrast to these calming breathing practices, energising fast-paced breathwork increases arousal. For example, fire breathing (breathe in and out quickly, but not deeply, through your nose in a consistent rhythm) and Lion’s breath (breathe out through your mouth, stick your tongue out and make a strong “haa” sound).
What is happening in the body?
Deep and slow breathing, especially with a long exhale, is the best way to stimulate the vagus nerves. The vagus nerves pass through the diaphragm and are the main nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Simulating the vagus nerves calms our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) stress response. This improves mood, lowers the stress hormone cortisol and helps to regulate emotions and responses. It also promotes more coordinated brain activity, improves immune function and reduces inflammation.
Taking deep, diaphragmatic breaths also has physical benefits. This improves blood flow, lung function and exercise performance, increases oxygen in the body, and strengthens the diaphragm.
Slow breathing reduces heart rate and blood pressure and increases heart rate variability (normal variation in time between heart beats). These are linked to better heart health.
Taking shallow, quick, rhythmic breaths in and out through your nose stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Short-term, controlled activation of the stress response is healthy and develops resilience to stress.
Breathing in through the nose
We are designed to inhale through our nose, not our mouth. Inside our nose are lots of blood vessels, mucous glands and tiny hairs called cilia. These warm and humidify the air we breathe and filter out germs and toxins.
We want the air that reaches our airways and lungs to be clean and moist. Cold and dry air is irritating to our nose and throat, and we don’t want germs to get into the body.
Nasal breathing increases parasympathetic activity and releases nitric oxide, which improves airway dilation and lowers blood pressure.
Consistently breathing through our mouth is not healthy. It can lead to pollutants and infections reaching the lungs, snoring, sleep apnoea, and dental issues including cavities and jaw joint problems.
Breathing can be high and shallow when we are stressed. mi_viri/Shutterstock A free workout
Slow breathing – even short sessions at home – can reduce stress, anxiety and depression in the general population and among those with clinical depression or anxiety. Research on breathwork in helping post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also promising.
Diaphragmatic breathing to improve lung function and strengthen the diaphragm can improve breathing and exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. It can also improve exercise performance and reduce oxidative stress (an imbalance of more free radicals and/or less antioxidants, which can damage cells) after exercise.
Waiting at the lights? This could be your signal to do some breathwork. doublelee/Shutterstock A mind-body connection you can access any time
If you feel stressed or anxious, you might subconsciously take shallow, quick breaths, but this can make you feel more anxious. Deep diaphragmatic breaths through your nose and focusing on strong exhalations can help break this cycle and bring calm and mental clarity.
Just a few minutes a day of breathwork can improve your physical and mental health and wellbeing. Daily deep breathing exercises in the workplace reduce blood pressure and stress, which is important since burnout rates are high.
Bottom line: any conscious control of your breath throughout the day is positive.
So, next time you are waiting in a line, at traffic lights or for the kettle to boil, take a moment to focus on your breath. Breathe deeply into your belly through your nose, exhale slowly, and enjoy the benefits.
Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong and Judy Pickard, Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychology, University of Wollongong
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
How To Double Your Heart Attack Risk With This One Easy Sleep Habit
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
A lot of heart attack risk factors are quite big things to change. Stop smoking, stop drinking, stop eating red meat, exercise a certain amount, and so forth.
This one, in contrast, is quite easy to change:
The one easy habit is…
If you would like to double your heart attack risk, then what you want to do is simply get in the habit of sliding your sleep schedule around each day, so that its lacks regularity.
We wrote about this a bit before, here: How Regularity Of Sleep Can Be Even More Important Than Duration
…however, today’s article is not just a rehash of that one, because with the evidence when we wrote that one, we could “only” point to a 26% increased risk of cardiovascular disease (in general, not heart attack risk specifically).
Now, however, new evidence has come to light, that makes this several times more important!
Researchers (Dr. Laura Nauha et al.) followed 3,231 people from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, measuring sleep timing at age 46 with wearable activity monitors over 7 days, then tracking cardiovascular outcomes for more than 10 years through to 2023—and yes, it’s just been published now in 2026, because science is like that; we cannot accuse them of not being rigorous in their conscientiousness of checking and double-checking things and doing things right! In fact, for more on that, see the peer review notes at the end of this section, because it’s interesting too.
Notably, people with the most irregular bedtimes had more than double the risk of major adverse cardiac events (HR* 2.01) compared with those with regular bedtimes, while irregular sleep midpoints also doubled risk (HR 2.00).
*HR = “Hazard Ratio”, a way of measuring risk. 1.0 means the risk is the same, 0.5 means the risk is halved, 2.0 means the risk is doubled, and so on.
You may be wondering what counted as “major” events: for the purposes of this study, serious cardiovascular problems included heart attack, unstable angina, stroke, heart failure hospitalization, and/or cardiovascular death.
One important thing to take note of: inconsistent bedtimes—but not irregular wake-up times—showed the strongest independent association with later heart risk, suggesting when you go to bed may matter more than when you get up. That said, controlling when you get up (bearing in mind you can control when you wake up more strongly than you can control when you fall asleep) is a good way of influencing being able to fall asleep at the appointed hour in the evening.
You can learn more about that, here: Calculate (And Enjoy) The Perfect Night’s Sleep
And as for the study we’ve been talking about, you can read the paper in full here: Sleep timing irregularity in midlife: association with incident major adverse cardiac events and cardiovascular disease mortality over a 10-year follow-up
Incidentally, if you’re at all curious about what peer review actually looks like in real terms, this paper has a great and very accessible example, in the short back-and-forth that can be seen between Dr. Nauha and her team (the researchers) and the reviewers (the peer reviewers, that is to say, similar researchers in the same industry, double-checking the team’s work and asking salient questions about it, providing challenges where appropriate, and allowing the authors to make stuff clearer where necessary).
Want to learn more?
For a much more in-depth treatment of the topic, you might like this book that we reviewed a while back:
Why We Sleep – by Dr Matthew Walker
Basically, if you will read only one book on sleep, that’s the book.
Sweet dreams!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
