Staying up late can make you die young, research warns

People who stay up late and have to drag themselves out
of bed are likelier to die younger than those who rise and set with
the Sun, researchers said Thursday.

A survey of more than 430,000 people in Britain found that night
owls had a 10-percent higher risk of dying in the 6.5-year study
period than “larks”.

“This is a public health issue that can no longer be ignored,”
said study co-author Malcolm van Schantz of the University of
Surrey — and argued that “night types” should be allowed to start
and finish work later in the day.

“Night owls trying to live in a morning-lark world may (suffer)
health consequences,” said fellow author Kristen Knutson of the
Northwestern University in Chicago.

The duo gathered information on nearly half-a-million people
aged 38-73 from a public database.

The participants had defined themselves as either “definitely a
morning person” (27 percent), “more a morning person than evening
person” (35 percent), “more an evening than a morning person” (28
percent), or “definitely an evening person” (nine percent).

They also listed their weight, smoking habits, and socioeconomic
status.

Deaths in the group — just over 10,500 in total — were
documented for six-and-a-half years.

The night owl group, the team found, had a 10-percent higher
risk of dying than those in the extreme early-morning group.

People in the late-night group were more likely to suffer from
psychological disorders, diabetes, and stomach and breathing
troubles, and slept fewer hours per night.

They were also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and coffee,
and use illegal drugs.

The higher risk may be because “people who are up late have an
internal biological clock that doesn’t match their external
environment,” Knutson said.

“It could be psychological stress, eating at the wrong time for
the body, not exercising enough, not sleeping enough, being awake
at night by yourself, maybe drug or alcohol use.”

The research duo urged special treatment for night owls.

“If you can recognise these (types) are, in part, genetically
determined and not just a character flaw, jobs and work hours could
have more flexibility for owls,” Knutson said.

“They shouldn’t be forced to get up for an 8.00 am shift.”

(AFP

People who stay up late and have to drag themselves out
of bed are likelier to die younger than those who rise and set with
the Sun, researchers said Thursday.

A survey of more than 430,000 people in Britain found that night
owls had a 10-percent higher risk of dying in the 6.5-year study
period than “larks”.

“This is a public health issue that can no longer be ignored,”
said study co-author Malcolm van Schantz of the University of
Surrey — and argued that “night types” should be allowed to start
and finish work later in the day.

“Night owls trying to live in a morning-lark world may (suffer)
health consequences,” said fellow author Kristen Knutson of the
Northwestern University in Chicago.

The duo gathered information on nearly half-a-million people
aged 38-73 from a public database.

The participants had defined themselves as either “definitely a
morning person” (27 percent), “more a morning person than evening
person” (35 percent), “more an evening than a morning person” (28
percent), or “definitely an evening person” (nine percent).

They also listed their weight, smoking habits, and socioeconomic
status.

Deaths in the group — just over 10,500 in total — were
documented for six-and-a-half years.

The night owl group, the team found, had a 10-percent higher
risk of dying than those in the extreme early-morning group.

People in the late-night group were more likely to suffer from
psychological disorders, diabetes, and stomach and breathing
troubles, and slept fewer hours per night.

They were also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and coffee,
and use illegal drugs.

The higher risk may be because “people who are up late have an
internal biological clock that doesn’t match their external
environment,” Knutson said.

“It could be psychological stress, eating at the wrong time for
the body, not exercising enough, not sleeping enough, being awake
at night by yourself, maybe drug or alcohol use.”

The research duo urged special treatment for night owls.

“If you can recognise these (types) are, in part, genetically
determined and not just a character flaw, jobs and work hours could
have more flexibility for owls,” Knutson said.

“They shouldn’t be forced to get up for an 8.00 am shift.”

(AFP