A new study published in Chronobiology International has shown that those who prefer staying up late and waking up late in the day may die earlier due to bad habits they develop from staying awake all night. Researcher Krister Hoplin from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health explained that "the increased risk of death associated with being a night owl primarily stems from higher consumption of tobacco and alcohol, compared to those who are clearly morning people."
The study followed nearly 24,000 twins from 1981 to 2018 to record potential reasons for health-related behaviors. He noted that "about 10% of the twins participating in the study were definitely night owls, and 33% preferred staying up somewhat. More than 29% of the participants had a preference for waking up early, while 27.7% described themselves as somewhat leaning toward early mornings."
The study examined the educational level of each twin, alcohol consumption, use of tobacco products, body mass index, and duration of sleep to compare the lifestyles of "night owls" with those who prefer waking up early, referred to as "morning birds."
According to the findings, "night owls" have a 9% higher risk of early death compared to "morning birds." In this context, Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, stated that "those who prefer the evening type are more likely to be addicted to alcohol, have alcohol use disorder, and are also more likely to use other substances including tobacco. While alcohol and smoking may play a role in increasing risks by 9%, they do not tell the whole story."
He added, "Other potential reasons that come to mind are that night owls may need to wake up early for work or school, thus ending up getting less sleep, and sleep deprivation can increase risks."
