GOLDEN YEARS
Getting Enough Sleep When’s your bedtime? All over the shop? Join the club... We all know that for people of any age having a healthy, consistent sleep routine is important. What time should people sleep for their heart health? It turns out, it shouldn’t be too late but not too early, either. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the “most significant cause of mortality” across the world, the researchers of a new study published Tuesday in European Heart Journal - Digital Health said. There has also been evidence linking poor sleep and cardiovascular risk.
participants. Interestingly, the risk was lowest for those whose sleep onset was between 10pm and 10:59pm.
For their study, the researchers collected data on 88,026 people in the U.K. Biobank who were recruited from 2006 to 2010. Instead of getting data via self-report, the researchers collected data on the participants’ sleep onset and waking times by making them wear a wristworn accelerometer for seven days.
When the researchers analyzed the data by sex, they found that the risk was particularly strong among women. In fact, only the sleep onset risk for those who fell asleep earlier than 10pm was considered “significant” in men.
During a mean follow-up of 5.7 years, researchers identified 3,172 cases of cardiovascular diseases among the
Compared to them, those who went to bed between 11:00 to 11:59 had a 12% higher risk for cardiovascular disease while those who hit the sack at midnight or even later had a 25% higher risk. But those who fell asleep earlier than 10pm also had a 24% greater risk.
It’s possible that going to bed after midnight may be the “riskiest” because it lessens the chances of seeing morning sunlight, “which resets the body clock,” the study’s co-author, Dr. David Plans of the University of Exeter in the U.K., noted in the ESC news release. As for why the association appears to be stronger in women, Plans said that this is “unclear,” citing the participants’ older age since women tend to have an increased risk after menopause. Remember, there are numerous factors which influence our risk of heart disease – the most important being family history, diet and lifestyle and other health issues like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. However if this newly published research
“Our findings suggest the possibility of a relationship between sleep onset timing and risk of developing CVD, particularly for women,” the researchers wrote.
SHOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR MIRROR WILLS? Mirror Wills are identical Wills that couples make leaving everything to each other, then usually to their children in equal shares. If you have Mirror Wills and your spouse passes away, you become the sole owner of your property. This causes two potential issues: 1. Care Fees: The council could use the full value of your home to fund your care fees. Your family are left very little inheritance. 2. Remarriage: You get remarried. Your original Will becomes invalid, then, when you pass away, your family home and everything you have worked hard for is left to your new spouse. Your children may receive nothing.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO STOP THIS? You can create Property Protection Wills. This means that your half of the property is ring fenced for the people you choose, possibly your children. For couples, Property Protection Wills cost just £400.
HOW DO I CHANGE MY MIRROR WILL? Alvechurch Legal Services offers a free booklet which provides further information on Property Protection Wills, please visit www.alvechurchlegal.co.uk or call 0121 445 3307 for your copy.
n 24 | Worcestershire Now | Issue 213 | December 2021 - January 2022
makes you more conscious of needing more sleep sometimes it is easier said than done. CONTINUED OVER THE PAGE
