Staying up late at night could increase risk for diabetes, finds study

If you find yourself groggy during the morning hours but full of energy come evening, you might just be a night owl.

This sleep pattern, known as a chronotype, has been linked to a higher susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and a plethora of unhealthy lifestyle choices, according to a new study.

The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that even though many people who can’t sleep early at night have unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking, reduced physical activity or excessive alcohol consumption, their risk for diabetes compared to those who rose early increased by 19 per cent, even if all lifestyle factors were removed.

The lead author, Sina Kianersi, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said that night owls face a staggering 72 per cent increased risk of developing diabetes over an eight-year period.

It appears that there may be a genetic predisposition lurking beneath the surface, influencing both the inclination towards diabetes and the preference for staying up late.

We all possess a biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm, that orchestrates the release of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone.

While sleep chronotypes are believed to have a hereditary component, they can also be reshaped with concerted effort. Early birds, blessed with an innate desire to rise with the sun, experience an earlier release of melatonin, fueling their alertness during the morning hours.

Night owls, on the other hand, witness the secretion of melatonin in the late hours, resulting in groggy mornings and a burst of energy later in the day.

Yet, the implications of sleep go far beyond these surface-level observations. Every cell in our body adheres to its own circadian rhythm, dictating hunger, bowel movements, exercise capacity, and immune system function.

When sleep disrupts these intricate rhythms, chaos ensues within our bodies. Hormone secretion is altered, temperature regulation goes haywire, and metabolism takes a detrimental hit.

The domino effect that follows not only raises the risk of diabetes but also catapults us towards cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses.

It’s no wonder that early birds tend to thrive academically and lead more active lives throughout the day, reducing their chances of falling prey to cardiovascular diseases.

The study, which delved into the lives of nearly 64,000 nurses, uncovered significant associations between diabetes development in night owls who worked during the day.

Surprisingly, no such association was found for night owls with later work hours or overnight shifts. These findings suggest the potential benefits of personalised work scheduling to accommodate individual chronotypes.