Do you always feel that you are more creative and focused in the afternoon or evening than in the morning?
Or, do you always find yourself staying up late into the early hours of the morning without realizing it, and then having to sleep in the next day to catch up on your sleep?
If so, then you are a genuine night owl.
For a long time, it has been widely believed that as long as one can get seven to nine hours of sleep each day, staying up late is not a big deal. But in fact, this idea is incorrect.
More and more evidence shows that staying up late may cause many health problems.
For instance, a 2023 eight-year follow-up study led by Harvard University found that those who were classified as "late sleepers" had a 72% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those who were early risers.
At the same time, people who go to bed late are also more likely to be overweight and have unhealthy lifestyles, such as excessive drinking, smoking, poor diet and insufficient sleep.
Even after scientists took into account the impact of these lifestyle factors on health, people who sleep late still had a 19% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those who wake up early.
Furthermore, a 2021 study involving nearly 137,000 middle-aged and elderly people showed that compared to those who go to bed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., those who go to bed after 10 p.m. have a 20% higher risk of obesity or having an excessive waist circumference.
Among women, this increase is more than 35 inches, and for men, it is more than 40 inches. Among those who went to bed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., the risk of obesity was even higher (approximately 35% to 38%).
Meanwhile, in this study, the sleep duration of those who go to bed late (six to seven hours per night) was also shorter than that of those who go to bed early and get up early (eight to nine hours per night).
Sleep is an important time period for the brain to eliminate toxins and consolidate memories and new information. It is also a good time for our muscles and cells to regenerate.
Insufficient quality sleep can lead to poor concentration, an increased risk of falls, fractures and car accidents, weakened immune system, and even trigger some common diseases such as dementia, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and depression.
Overall, staying up late does cause health problems and increases the risk of illness. Our schedule should follow the natural rhythm of life, rather than treating health as a joke.
The body is the temple of the soul. Treating our bodies seriously is more important than striving to make a lot of money.
references
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/tips-to-change-your-night-owl-lifestyle