Longevity & AgingYour Heart Runs on a Clock — and Ignoring It Can Be Deadly
A comprehensive 2025 review in the European Heart Journal synthesizes evidence showing that circadian rhythms — governed by the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus and peripheral tissue clocks — profoundly shape cardiovascular disease risk, timing, and severity. Heart attacks cluster in the morning when sympathetic tone, blood pressure, and platelet aggregation peak. Infarct size varies by time of day. Heart failure and arrhythmias follow distinct 24-hour patterns. Circadian disruptions from shift work, sleep deprivation, and irregular eating amplify cardiovascular risk. Chronotherapy — timing drugs and interventions to align with biological rhythms — shows real promise for improving outcomes in hypertension, anticoagulation, and cardiac surgery.
