The sleep habit that quietly raises your risk of heart disease | Dr Kristen Knutson
3/9/20261 hr 25 min
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Kristen Knutson to unpack circadian health and how timing influences our metabolism, cardiovascular health, and sleep quality. We discuss the role of morning light, meal timing, exercise, and regularity, and why modern lifestyles often push our biology out of sync.
Dr Knutson also clarifies common misconceptions about melatonin, wearable sleep trackers, and what to do if you wake up in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back asleep.
What We Cover
What circadian health is and how disruption occurs in everyday life Why mo...
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First 90 secondsSimon Hill· Host0:00
Sleep isn't just about how many hours you get. For decades, as a society, we've been obsessed over sleep duration. Seven hours, eight hours, maybe nine, as if that number alone determines whether we're healthy. But what if the real story here isn't just how long we sleep, but when we sleep, how consistent we are, and whether our body's internal clocks are actually working in sync? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Kristen Knutson, a leading sleep and circadian researcher and chair of the American Heart Association's recent scientific statement on circadian health. We unpack what circadian biology actually is, why sleep is in fact multidimensional, and how the timing of light, food, exercise, and sleep itself can shape your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. We also discuss melatonin supplementation, what it actually does, why it's a timing signal rather than a sleeping pill, and how to think about the correct timing of supplementation if improving sleep onset is the goal. This isn't about sleeping more. It's about sleeping and living at the right time for your biology. Okay, let's get into it. You specialize in sleep and circadian research. How did, did you find yourself working in this area of science, and, and