Stay up late, get up late – those who live like this die earlier. At least that’s what a new study suggests. The reason for this is what night owls do when others are already asleep.
They exist, these people who saved the world three times before sunrise in “Tim Bendzko” style. And there are those who are only really at operating temperature when others have long since been snoring into their pillows. Everyone has a different biorhythm that determines which sleep type we are, whether lark or owl, early riser or night owl.
This internal clock is difficult to turn. According to the results of a new study published in the journal Chronobiology International, this is bad news, especially for so-called night owls. In comparison, they have a nine percent higher risk of dying early. But that’s not due to staying awake alone. It is much more what the owls do at night that gives the scientists cause for concern.
Night owls drink and smoke more
The Finnish researchers wanted to get to the bottom of the question of the differences between morning and evening people and used data from a Finnish twin study from 2002. In this study, almost 24,000 pairs of twins were scientifically monitored for 37 years.
Among other things, the focus was on lifestyles and their influence on health. At the beginning of the study, the participants also had to state whether they clearly or to some extent see themselves as a morning or evening person. In the follow-up study, the death dates of around 8700 of the study participants were examined and compared with factors such as education, sleep duration and alcohol and tobacco consumption.
“Our results suggest that the chronotype makes little or no independent contribution to mortality,” quoted The Telegraph study author Christer Hublin of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Medicine in Helsinki. There are many more habits that are practiced more at night that shave off life – such as smoking and drinking alcohol. If these factors are omitted, the owls live as long as larks.
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Night owls have a slower clock ticking
Other studies had previously shown that late sleepers have an increased risk of death. In addition, as previous research also suggests, there is a higher risk of developing chronic diseases for this type of sleeper. In addition, night owls tend to attach problematic fatty tissue to the organs more than larks. This visceral body fat in the abdominal region is a risk factor for heart disease and type 2 diabetes (. Overall, according to research, people with the night owl chronotype are less active and also have less endurance.
Night owls release the sleep hormone melatonin later than early risers. As a result, they fall asleep later and also need longer during the day until they are fully productive. This could also explain why, among other things, early risers are generally shown to perform better at school. The internal clock of owls ticks differently than that of the average population. she is slower This leads to a kind of time delay.
The shifted rhythm can mean that those affected find it difficult to keep up in everyday life, for example to appear fit in the office in the morning. Doctors speak of sleep phase syndrome in such cases.
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Source: Stern
I’m Caroline, a journalist and author for 24 Hours Worlds. I specialize in health-related news and stories, bringing real-world impact to readers across the globe. With my experience in journalism and writing in both print and online formats, I strive to provide reliable information that resonates with audiences from all walks of life.
