If you are a night owl, stop burning the candle at both ends. Your body clock is killing you. Research shows that people who stay up late and drag themselves out of bed in the morning die 10 percent sooner than morning larks. This isn’t a judgment on your lifestyle. It is a biological reality.
A study published April 11, 2018 in Chronobiology International reveals the scope of the problem. Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Surrey tracked more than 433,000 participants. They ranged in age from 38 to 73. They followed them for 6.5 years. The result was stark. Fifty thousand night owls died at a higher rate than their early-rising counterparts. This held true even after adjusting for health issues. Diabetes. Respiratory conditions. Neurological and gastrointestinal disorders. The gap remained.
The study did not pinpoint a single cause. It did not show that staying up late causes heart failure directly. Instead, it showed a correlation. Behaviors more common in night owls likely drive the risk. These include drinking. Smoking. Drug use. Poor diets. The data suggests that evening types engage in more harmful activities. They also struggle with sleep quality.
How Chronotype Affects Longevity
Your chronotype is your inner clock. It determines when you feel awake and when you feel tired. Genetics play a role. Environmental factors play a role. Each accounts for about 50 percent of your predisposition. When your internal clock is misaligned with your daily life, the toll is severe.
This misalignment is especially painful in a nine-to-five world. Malcom von Schantz, professor of chronobiology at the University of Surrey, calls this a public health issue. He argues that employers should allow flexible hours for night people. Evening types should be allowed to start and finish work later, where practical. We need more research on how to help evening types cope with the effort of syncing their body clock with sun time.
The researchers note that we have some control. You can try to shift toward being a morning person. The method is simple. Get exposure to light early in the morning. Avoid light at night. Keep regular bedtime hours. Do not sleep in late on weekends. These habits help regulate your circadian rhythm.
Is Your Sleep Schedule Fixed?
What if you try to become a lark? What if your leanings are simply lunar? It may just be the way you are wired. A 2017 article suggests that our body clocks are set to the time of day we were born. Whether we are morning or evening people is directly connected to our birth hour. This implies a deep biological root.
This does not mean you are helpless. It means you must work with your nature. Or try to reshape it carefully. The W. C. Fields quote about insomnia curing itself with sleep holds weight here. The researchers agree. Rest is non-negotiable.
If you are a wistful owl perched in the dark, consider the words of Leonard Cohen. The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world. You may die sooner. You may feel tired. But you are not alone. Many share your nocturnal wiring. The question is whether you will fight it or adapt.
Now That’s Interesting
Some animals sleep standing up. Horses have a stay apparatus. It allows them to lock their legs without using muscle power. Giraffes do the same. They need to escape predators quickly. Cows and elephants can sleep standing or lying down. For elephants, sleeping too long on the ground can hurt internal organs. Humans do not have this luxury. We need flat surfaces. And we need to listen to our clocks.
