BEING a night owl in a world built for early birds isn’t easy.
For one, late risers are often unfairly derided as lazy.
And for years, experts have warned that late-nighters face a higher risk of depression than early risers.
But until now, the reason behind this link has remained unclear.
But a new study in PLOS One might offer fresh insight into why owls are more prone to depression than larks.
University of Surrey researchers surveyed 546 students.
They looked at sleep patterns, mindfulness, rumination, alcohol use, and mental health.
The study revealed that night owls were more prone to depression than morning types, and were significantly more prone to worring, which is often linked to depression.
Researchers said this backs up previous studies which suggest people are more likely to worry and ruminate at the end of the day.
The study also found that morning lovers were more likely to act with mindfulness, such as they were acting with awareness of their emotions and thoughts.
Those who stayed up were also significantly more likely to drink alcohol and also had poorer sleep.
The authors concluded: “With many young adults’ experiencing poor mental health, these study findings are particularly important – many young adults tend to stay up late and the results point to how interventions could be implemented to reduce their risk of depression.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”What is tDCS?” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6363554112112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Several studies have previously found saying up into the early hours a few times a week can increase your chances of heart disease,
This is because heart and blood vessels are regulated by the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
Night owls are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who go to bed early, US scientists have suggested.
Experts from Rutgers University in New Jersey found night owls were less active in the day and worse at using fat for energy. This resulted in a build-up of fats which can lead to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Those staying up late were also less sensitive to insulin, potentially harming health.
Another study published in 2018 found women who go to bed late have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than early-risers.