Cardiovascular health doesn't just depend on diet or daytime exercise. In fact, what we do in the evening is also very important.
Evening is the time when the body needs rest and recovery after a day of activity. Heart rate slows down, blood pressure decreases, and the brain gradually enters a relaxed state to prepare for sleep, according to the health website Healthline (USA).
Regularly staying up late can silently erode cardiovascular health. PHOTO: AI
However, some repetitive evening habits can silently undermine cardiovascular health.
Staying up late for extended periods
Staying up late prevents the body from resting according to its biological clock. When you go to bed late, your sleep is often not deep or sufficient. This leaves the body in a state of mild stress. Heart rate and blood pressure do not decrease as normal at night. In the long run, the heart has to work harder than necessary.
Some studies suggest that people who habitually go to bed late have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. The main reason is a disrupted circadian rhythm. When this rhythm is disrupted, many processes in the body are affected.
Eating dinner late or having a late-night snack
Eating close to bedtime is a very common habit. However, this is the time when the body should be resting, not digesting. When you eat late, blood sugar levels are more likely to spike at night. The body also tends to accumulate more fat, especially belly fat.
Furthermore, nighttime blood pressure may not decrease as normally as usual. If these changes persist over the long term, they increase the risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and visceral fat accumulation.
Drinking coffee, stimulants
Coffee helps you stay alert, but drinking it in the evening does more harm than good. Caffeine makes it difficult for many people to fall asleep or sleep soundly. When sleep is poor, the body doesn't recover properly. This directly affects the heart.
In addition, caffeine can increase heart rate and potentially raise blood pressure for a short period. If this happens every night, the heart will have to work harder. It's not just coffee; cigarettes have a similar effect.
Drinking alcohol
Many people think drinking alcohol helps them fall asleep. In reality, alcohol only makes the drinker feel sleepy at first, but later they are more likely to wake up suddenly and have difficulty falling into a deep sleep.
More importantly, alcohol directly affects the heart. It can cause irregular heartbeats and increase blood pressure. This risk is even higher if you drink heavily in the evening.
In the long term, the habit of drinking alcohol in the evening can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This habit is also often accompanied by other bad habits such as eating late at night or sleeping late, according to Healthline.