A new US study has found that going to bed at the same time every night may help reduce blood pressure and support long-term heart health.
Published by Oxford University Press, the study monitored the sleep patterns of 11 adults with high blood pressure over the course of one week. Researchers then asked participants to choose a fixed bedtime and stick to it every night for two weeks. They were not required to sleep for a specific number of hours or avoid daytime naps — only to keep their bedtime consistent.
Before the experiment, participants’ bedtimes varied by about 30 minutes each night. During the trial, this variability decreased to just seven minutes.
Researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences reported that maintaining a stable bedtime led to a four-point reduction in systolic (upper) blood pressure and a three-point reduction in diastolic (lower) blood pressure over a full 24-hour period. These improvements are comparable to the benefits typically seen from reducing salt intake or engaging in regular exercise.
The impact was even more pronounced during sleep, with systolic pressure dropping by five points and diastolic pressure by four points. A five-point reduction in blood pressure is known to lower the risk of heart and vascular disease by around 10%.
According to the research team, irregular sleep schedules disrupt the body’s internal clock, which regulates both sleep cycles and heart function. By contrast, a consistent sleep routine helps establish healthier sleep patterns and more stable cardiovascular activity.
The researchers added that if further studies confirm these results, adopting a fixed bedtime could offer a simple, low-cost strategy for reducing the risk of heart disease.
