The time you sleep could increase risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases

Sleeping late does not only make you croaky and slow in the morning, but it could increase your risk of getting some chronic diseases. A new study shows that night owls are not able to burn fat for energy as efficiently as those who go to bed early, according to WebMD. This then makes them more susceptible to developing various cardiovascular diseases as well as diabetes.

Sleeping late and energy use

A team of researchers from the US found that people who stay up late tend to be more sedentary and burn less fat while resting and even during physical activity than those who hit the sacks early. Results of the study published in the journal, Experimental Physiology point to late sleepers being more insulin-resistant.

This means their muscles need more insulin in order to produce the energy they need, CNN reports. Steven Malin, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University in New Jersey and lead author of the study, told The Guardian:

Night owls are reported to have a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease when compared with early birds.

Added knowledge

Many studies have already established a link between a person’s sleep chronotype (the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time) and increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. These new findings could be useful in ongoing conversations around the potential health risks of night-shift work as well as daylight savings, The Guardian noted. Dr Malin explained:

If we promote a timing pattern that is out of sync with nature, it could exacerbate health risk. Whether dietary patterns or activity can help attenuate these is an area we hope becomes clear in time.

However, the researchers said more work needs to be done to determine why these differences in metabolism exist between night owls and early birds.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/20/night-owls-may-be-more-prone-to-heart-disease-and-diabetes-study-finds

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/health/night-owl-disease-risk-sleep-late-wellness/index.html

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20220920/night-owls-higher-risks-diabetes-heart-disease#:~:text=Sept.,new%20study%20in%20Experimental%20Physiology

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/EP090613

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