Night Owls are at a Higher Risk for Being Unhealthy

New studies recently released in November of this year support evidence that those with night chronotypes – you know these sorts of people as night owls who spend their evenings up and around instead of getting a regular night’s sleep –are linked to a series of health risks.

According to a recent study published in the Advances in Nutrition International Review Journal, scientific evidence suggests people with night chronotypes are more susceptible to dealing with health issues related to diet, cardiometabolic health, and more. What’s worse, these relations can result in cardiovascular conditions, glucose processing conditions, and even serious cases of type II diabetes.

That all sounds well and good, but the question underlying these studies is, quite simply, why? Why do night owls, or people who spend a majority of their nights awake and active, tend to be linked to these sorts of issues? What provides the link between night owls and these health conditions?

To put it simply, these studies are linking up the relation between chronotype, diet, and cardiometabolic health.

To dive a little deeper into the why behind these scientific finding, read on as we explore the links, relations, and connections to these health issues and sleep patterns.

What Does Evening Chronotype Mean?

Before we can dive into explaining why evening chronotype links to certain health issues, it’s likely more than helpful to have an explanation of what evening chronotype means. Consider first a regular and natural rhythm of light and dark cycles, or rather, when people tend to cycle through their sleep-awake and fasting-feeding cycles. A chronotype is a way to describe the behavior patterns of people’s cycles, or rather, the typology of the person’s circadian clock system.

In laymen’s terms, evening chronotype simple means that a person is a night-owl, they tend to have a propensity to sleep during the daylight part of their 24-hour period. This is also called “eveningness,”  or rather, a delayed sleep period and an extreme within the circadian cycle during a 24- hour period.

Cardiovascular Diseases & Cardiometabolic Health

Night-owl tendencies and cardiovascular diseases have long been related – in fact, most people understand that evening chronotypes can be a risk factor for incurring some kind of cardiovascular issue. However, this study suggests that those who have night chronotypes – even just mild circadian misalignment – are more likely to be at risk for myocardial infarctions (or heart attacks). Sleep debt is a serious thing, and if you deal with short or misaligned sleep cycles, some studies suggest that you are likely to engage in other activities that could further increase your risk for cardiovascular diseases, like smoking, participating sedentary behavior, and avoiding healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

Glucose Metabolism & Type 2 Diabetes

Food is more than just our nutrition source (although, it’s certainly that). But it’s also a regulator for our body clocks and our circadian and metabolic rhythms. Because of the nature of the evening chronotype, food intake and eating patterns are affected by this schedule. This study finds that people with evening chronotype typically have a tendency to consume fewer meals, but larger meals overall, which might delay their food intake and result in a redistribution of their energy. Additionally, studies have found that, after testing night-shift workers, those who have evening chronotypes have an increased risk of type II diabetes because of circadian misalignment and sleep restriction, causing a reduction in insulin sensitivity, and increase in inflammation, and an impaired glucose tolerance.

Unregulated and Irregular Food Intake

Though there are fewer studies on this relation, it’s quite possible that evening chronotype – all you night owls out there – is linked to irregular, unscheduled, and regulated food intake. By this, we mean irregular timing for meals, meal skipping (particular breakfast, which can be a great pace setter for the day), and overall, irregular eating that would not occur if said subject wasn’t a night owl. All of this can lead to potential issues like a lower intake of healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) and a higher consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and energy-boosting foods and drink.