Bedtime, sleep pattern, and incident cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: The dongfeng-tongji cohort study

To investigate the associations of bedtime and a low-risk sleep pattern with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). A total of 31,500 retirees were included from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort in 2008–2010 and 2013. Sleep information was collected by questionnaires. CVD events were identified through the health care system until December 31, 2018. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During an average follow-up of 7.2 years, 8324 cases of incident CVD, including 6557 coronary heart disease (CHD) and 1767 stroke, were documented. U-shaped associations of bedtime with the risks of incident CVD and stroke were observed. Compared with bedtime between 10:01 p.m.-11:00 p.m., the HR (95% CI) for CVD was 1.10 (1.01–1.20) for ≤9:00 p.m., 1.07 (1.01–1.13) for 9:01 p.m.-10:00 p.m., and 1.32 (1.11–1.58) for >12:00 a.m., respectively, mainly driven by stroke risk (22%, 14%, and 70% higher for ≤9:00 p.m., 9:01 p.m.-10:00 p.m., and >12:00 a.m., respectively). The number of low-risk sleep factors, namely bedtime between 10:01 p.m.-12:00 a.m., sleep duration of 7-< 8 h/night, good/fair sleep quality, and midday napping ≤60 min, exhibited dose-dependent relationships with CVD, CHD, and stroke risks. Participants with 4 low-risk sleep factors had a respective 24%, 21%, and 30% lower risk of CVD, CHD, and stroke than those with 0–1 low-risk sleep factor. Individuals with early or late bedtimes had a higher CVD risk, especially stroke. Having low-risk sleep habits is associated with lower CVD risks. •Bedtime ≤10:00 p.m. and >12:00 a.m. were both associated with a higher risk of incident CVD, especially stroke.•We defined a low-risk sleep pattern as bedtime between 10:01 p.m.-12:00 a.m., sleep duration of 7-< 8 h/night, good/fair sleep quality, and midday napping ≤60 min.•A low-risk sleep pattern was significantly associated with a 24%, 21%, and 30% lower risk of CVD, coronary heart disease, and stroke, respectively.