Night Owls Why do nocturnal people die much earlier?

Physicians study sleep habits and their effects

Some people like to stay awake for a long time at night and often have problems getting up early. Researchers now found that so-called night people die earlier, compared to people with normal sleep habits.

The researchers from the University of Surrey and Northwestern University in the US have found in their recent research that nighttime long-term residents have a lower life expectancy. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Chronobiology International".

Risk of dying prematurely was increased by 10 percent in the case of night people

If people like to stay awake at night and generally go to bed late, it increases the likelihood of ten percent that those affected die prematurely within the study period of six and a half years, the study authors explain.

Stress and its effects

The ongoing stress in today's society has a huge impact on millions of people. As a result, the life expectancy of those affected is reduced. Stress is a public health issue that can no longer be ignored, says Professor Malcolm von Schantz of the University of Surrey.

Further research is needed

It should be discussed whether so-called night people flexible working hours are possible, where they can appear later to their work, suggest the doctors. In addition, further research is needed to find out how people can be helped to synchronize their body clock with the time of the sun, the researchers explain. Night people have a lot of problems with normal working hours, and the resulting stress could be detrimental to their health.

Study examined almost 500,000 participants

For their study, the researchers studied nearly 500,000 Britons between the ages of 38 and 73 years. In this study, about nine percent of participants were considered night people, while 27 percent were classified as morning people. Viewed across the UK, this means that around 5.8 million people are at an increased risk of premature death because their internal clock is not in harmony with the environment, the researchers explain. Previous studies in this area have already focused on the higher rates of metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular disease, but this is the first mortality risk assessment.

Unhealthy behaviors can be related to sleep habits

It could be that at night long-lasting people have an internal biological clock that does not match their external environment, Dr. Kristen Knutson from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. For example, the reasons why people go to bed late at night may be mental stress, inappropriate meal times, inadequate physical activity, drugs, and alcohol consumption. There are a number of unhealthy behaviors associated with going to bed late at night, the doctor adds.

Health consequences for night people

Night people have elevated rates of diabetes, mental disorders, and neurological disorders. Whether humans are early risers or night people, depends partly on genetic reasons and half on the environment. This means there may be ways to control problems with the inner body clock. The research team recommends night people to help themselves by trying to face the light early in the morning rather than at night. Regular bedtime, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and attempting to complete tasks earlier in the day can help to reset the daily rhythm, explain the physicians.

Working shifts should correspond to chronotypes

Future studies will investigate interventions on night people, causing them to change their body clock and adjust it to an earlier schedule. Then it will show if the blood pressure and overall health can be improved. For example, night people should not be forced to get up at eight in the morning. It should be ensured that working shifts correspond to people's chronotypes. For some people, it might be better to work in the night shift. (As)