Researchers tracked 433,268 adults in the United Kingdom over an average of six-and-a-half years. The participants were asked to put themselves into one of four categories: “definitely a morning person”; “more a morning person than evening person”; “more an evening than a morning person”; or “definitely an evening person.” Over the course of the study, just over 10,000 participants died, and researchers found that those who identified as “definite evening types” were 10 percent more likely to die than their 'morning person' counterparts.
It wasn’t just an increased risk of dying that was more prevalent among night owls. Researchers also found that the “definite evening types” were nearly twice as likely to indicate they had some sort of psychological illness than the “definite morning types.”
The researchers think that what might be happening is that there’s a problem for the night owl who’s trying to live in the morning world. They say that this mismatch between their internal clock and their external world could lead to problems for their health over the long run, especially if their schedule is irregular.
According to the study, the night owls were also more likely to have diabetes, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and respiratory disorders. Also, regularly staying up late can also cause unwanted weight gain.
The message of this study seems pretty clear: night owls need to realize that they have these potential health problems and therefore need to be more vigilant about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As countless studies have shown, eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep are all important, and maybe particularly so for night owls.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
