Why You Should Be Saying No to Being a Night Owl

Posted: October 12, 2015

Even if you feel the most motivated and creative during the late-night hours, and staying up late has become part of your regular sleep cycle, your being a night owl may be detrimental to your health.

Korean researchers found that people who stay up into the wee hours of the night may be at greater risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and sarcopenia than those who go to bed at a normal bedtime. Even if both types of people got the same amount of sleep each night, the outcomes were still consistent.

Most nocturnal chronotypes are related to sleep deprivation, disturbed sleep, and bad eating habits. These factors can end up affecting a person’s metabolism, which can account for the detrimental side effects.

More than 1,600 people between the ages of 47 and 59 participated in the Korean study. Information about sleep habits, exercise routines, and body fat were taken from each. Of the participants, 480 labeled themselves as morning people and 95 as night owls.

Those who stayed up late generally tended to be younger, had higher levels of body fat, and higher triglyceride levels than those who went to bed early. The nocturnal men had a higher risk of diabetes and sarcopenia, a syndrome that causes a loss of muscle mass. Women in the same category had more belly fat and a higher risk of metabolic disease.

The researchers concluded that night owls were more susceptible to these conditions due to poor sleep quality and unhealthy late-night habits such as smoking and eating. So a change in your sleeping habits may also reduce other unhealthy behaviors. 

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