“Night owls” – people who go to bed late and wake up late in the morning die faster and are sick more often than “early risers” – people who go to bed early and wake up early – according to a recent study by British scientists. It is the first of its kind to show that owls have a higher risk of mortality. They also suffer from more diseases and disorders than the “morning larks”. The results of research published in the journal “Chronobiology International” indicate that “early risers” are much better adapted to modern civilization.
A team of scientists from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Surrey (UK) conducted a study for 6,5 years, which involved almost half a million participants aged 38 to 73 years. Based on the results, it was concluded that forcing yourself to get up earlier and go to bed earlier, despite a natural predisposition to function at a later time, increases the risk of early death by as much as 10%. The “night owls” (owls) that try to adapt to the world of “early risers” (larks) suffer the consequences. For example, they find it hard to switch to daylight saving time.
“This is a public health issue that cannot be ignored anymore,” said Malcolm von Schantz, professor of chronobiology at the University of Surrey. – We should let the night owls start and stop later. We also have to help them cope with the fact that they have to put more effort into living according to the rhythm that the sun sets, ‘he added.
– This could be related to stress, eating at the wrong time for the body, not getting enough sleep, not exercising, waking up at night, as well as taking drugs and drinking alcohol. There can be many reasons, because there are many different unhealthy behaviors – adds prof. Knutson.
In the analysis, the experts took into account factors such as possible obesity of the respondents, their addictions, sex and age, as well as several specific diseases and conditions that are related to the “night” lifestyle.
The authors of the study point out that genes do not fully determine our daily rhythm, it is partially influenced by the environment, so it is worth trying to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. – However, if we admit that these chronotypes are to some extent genetically determined and are not just some character imperfection, certain changes in working hours could help «owls», says prof. Knutson. We shouldn’t force everyone to work from 8am. For some it might be easier to work in the evening.
In a future study, Knutson and colleagues want to test an “owl” intervention to get them to change their body clocks to conform to an earlier schedule. “Then we’ll see if we can improve blood pressure and overall health,” she said.
“There are already reports of more frequent heart attacks after switching to daylight saving time,” says von Schantz. “We have to remember that even a small additional risk is multiplied by the more than 1,3 billion people who experience this change each year,” he added.
Based on: sciencedaily.com