An international review has determined that night owls may
have a higher risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The study
found evidence that people who prefer to stay up late tend to have unhealthier
diets containing higher amounts of caffeinated beverages, fast foods, and
alcohol when compared to those who prefer to wake up earlier in the morning. When
an individual stays up late they also disrupt their normal glucose metabolism
because this process is influenced by the circadian rhythm. Blood glucose
levels typically decline throughout the day, but night owls will typically eat
later at night, usually soon before going to sleep, which elevates blood glucose
levels. This can possibly disrupt normal glucose metabolism and lead to type 2
diabetes down the road. The study also found that night owls tend to accumulate
sleep debt during the weekdays and will sleep in later on the weekends.
This evidence does not bode well for me since I am 100% a
night owl. The investigators found that night owls tend to have unhealthier
diets, such as consuming more caffeinated beverages, which I definitely agree
with. Also, the accumulation of sleep dept is something I deal with on a
regular basis. I will always sleep less during the week and sleep in much later
on the weekends. However, I think my current sleep pattern has been a result of
being in school and having to stay up late to study and write papers. The study
found that as individuals age they tend to prefer waking up earlier (i.e.
morning people) so it is likely that people who are night owls in high school/college
will not always remain that way. Additionally, someone can be a night owl and
still have a healthy diet, so the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes
or heart disease are very subjective.
References
Northumbria University. (2018, November 30). Is being a night owl bad for your health? Night owls may have a higher risk of suffering from heart disease and type 2 diabetes than early risers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 1, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181130111623.htm
It is not just elevation of blood glucose level. It believe messing up your circadian rhythm also effects your hormone production. Multiple studies show that Growth Hormone (GH) is a hormone essentially controlled by sleep-wake homeostasis. The most reproducible pulse of GH occurs shortly after sleep onset, and nocturnal GH release during sleep deprivation is minimal or frankly absent. Not only that, there are various other hormones such as ghrelin, a hunger hormone released primarily from stomach cells and leptin, a satiety hormone secreted by the adipocytes which are produced in certain intervals of one's sleep during the night, affecting your future appetite and digestive tract function. I'm sure all these other factors than glucose metabolism plays a role in developing type 2 diabetes.
ReplyDeleteLeproult, R., & Van Cauter, E. (2009). Role of sleep and sleep loss in hormonal release and metabolism. Endocrine development, 17, 11-21.
To echo Brian and add yet another way in which lack of sleep/abnormal sleep affects your over-all health is that it likely reduced the number of REM cycles your body is able to go through in any particular night. I believe people tend to have 4-5 REM periods on average, but with hormonal changes that occur early in the morning (cortisol, for example), you are unlikely to experience those last normal cycles in addition to the loss of a cycle or two from simply staying up late. And of course, REM cycles have been associated with several facets of our health, including (as brian suggested) hormone levels, neurocognitive abilities, tissue repair, and likely a slew of other things. I never really dove into the literature, but it seems like some researchers of concluded that younger adults should actually be getting as many as 9-10 hours of sleep each night rather than the 6-7 that they likely receive. I'm curious to see if any research comes out in the future that shows the implications of this.
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