Night owls should give a hoot about their bedtime.
Research has indicated that nocturnal creatures face an increased risk of diabetes, mental health troubles and even premature death.
Now, new evidence out of Finland suggests night owls’ habits may catch up to them, putting them at a disadvantage later in life, both physically and financially.
A study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine explored whether the nighttime habits of evening types (E-types) would affect their chances of collecting disability pension by retirement.
The findings revealed that early risers may have the upper hand when it comes to work, as E-types have more trouble in working life than morning types (M-types).
Looking at 5,679 M-types and E-types in their mid-40s, researchers examined whether there was any difference between the likelihood of E-types and M-types receiving a disability pension at retirement.
Their findings determined that E-types were linked with a 1.7 times higher risk of needing to retire early and take a disability pension in the following 12 years compared to M-types.
“People who are E-type represent a significant proportion of the population and their health and ability to continue working until retirement age pose challenges for sustainable economies,” the researchers wrote.
Using data from a major ongoing study, the research team classified 634 men and women as E-types and 2,537 people as M-types. A majority of the people categorized were born in Finland, where disability pensions are granted after a period of severe and long-term health decline
In the 12-year follow-up, 5.2% of the men and 8.1% of the women E-types were granted their first disability pension.
Researchers believe the poorer health outcomes of E-types are the main reason behind the increased need for disability pensions.
There’s also strong evidence that disruption of the body’s internal clock can lead to sleep problems, which can further worsen overall health.
Whoever, the study used an observational design to explore a potential connection between sleep chronotype — the body’s natural sleep-wake schedule shaped by genetics, age and biology — and getting a disability pension, so it can’t prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
“Further longitudinal studies involving diverse study populations, including younger age groups and non-Finnish individuals, are needed to confirm our results and to assess their generalisability,” wrote the authors.
Not all is lost for late sleepers.
As some studies suggest, those most active at night perform better on cognitive tests.
In a study from Imperial College London, the owls outperformed their early-bird counterparts, with morning larks consistently exhibiting the lowest cognitive scores and owls scoring 13.5% higher than larks in one group and 7.5% higher than them in another group.
