According to a new study, people who stay up late at night are more likely to suffer from diabetes and other health problems than early birds, even when they sleep the same number of hours, The Telegraph reported. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Staying up late at night is likely to cause eating at improper times, poor sleep quality and loss of sleep, which might ultimately lead to changes in metabolism.
In the study, around 1,620 people aged between 47 and 59 years were asked about their lifestyle habits, sleep quality and sleep-wake cycle. In addition, blood samples of participants were taken to assess body fat as well as metabolic health.
Scientists classified 480 participants as morning chronotypes and 95 participants as evening chronotypes based on the results of the questionnaire. The rest of the participants lied between morning chronotypes and evening chronotypes.
Researchers found that the evening chronotypes had higher levels of triglycerides and body fat than morning chronotypes. Furthermore, people with late bedtimes were more likely to suffer from sarcopenia, which is the gradual loss of muscle mass.
The research found that men belonging to evening chronotypes were more likely to suffer from sarcopenia or diabetes than early birds. It was also found that women who stayed up late at night tended to have more fat in their belly and a high risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of factors that raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
According to Sleep Education, a study has shown that teens who stay up late at night during their school years are likely to suffer from more emotional problems and have lower grades than their early bird counterparts.