A recent study reveals that people who go to bed late, commonly known as “night owls,” have a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who sleep earlier. Conducted by Dr. Jeroen van der Velde from Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, the research highlights that night owls are nearly 50% more likely to develop the disease, even after accounting for lifestyle factors. The findings will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid, Spain.
While earlier studies linked late sleep schedules with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking or poor diet, this research suggests that lifestyle alone does not fully explain the increased risk of type 2 diabetes in late sleepers. The study emphasizes that body fat distribution, including higher Body Mass Index (BMI), larger waistlines, and more visceral and liver fat, plays a critical role in metabolic health issues commonly seen in night owls.
Type 2 diabetes is a widespread condition in India, affecting over 100 million people. It occurs when the body fails to properly use insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. The disease is often associated with obesity, inactivity, and poor diet, though this study suggests that sleep patterns may also contribute to its onset.
The research analyzed data from more than 5,000 participants as part of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study. The participants, with an average age of 56 years, were grouped according to their sleep habits: early chronotypes (early risers), intermediate chronotypes, and late chronotypes (night owls). This classification was based on their natural sleep-wake patterns, reflecting individual differences in internal body clocks and daily rhythms.
To assess the participants’ health, the study measured their BMI, waist size, and overall body fat levels. MRI scans were used to evaluate visceral and liver fat in a subset of individuals. Over the course of 6.6 years, 225 participants developed type 2 diabetes.
Dr. van der Velde explains that the increased diabetes risk among night owls is likely due to circadian misalignment. He suggests that the body clocks of late chronotypes are out of sync with societal schedules, leading to metabolic disturbances that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Even after adjusting for factors such as age, physical activity, and sleep quality, late chronotypes had a 46% higher risk of developing the disease compared to intermediate sleepers.
To mitigate these risks, Dr. van der Velde recommends lifestyle adjustments, such as avoiding late-night eating and exploring time-restricted eating strategies, which may improve metabolic health for late sleepers. Further research is ongoing to explore how lifestyle timing influences the risk of type 2 diabetes.
