"Is Being A Night Owl Bad For You?" - Karen D’Souza
If you are a night owl, your natural circadian rhythm is primed to make you feel more alive when the sun goes down. Your eyes shine brighter; your mind feels more alert. The bad news is that not being an early bird may be bad for your health, from weight gain to premature death. A 2013 study in the journal Chronobiology International reported that evening types were 30 percent more likely than morning types to have high blood pressure. Andrew Varga, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that lifestyle habits like unhealthy eating or lack of exercise may be part of the problem. “When people go to bed late, they’re up living their lives—and one of the things they’re often doing is eating,” said Dr. Varga. “If your bedtime is 3 in the morning, you’re probably eating around 11 pm or midnight, and that’s been known to create problems with the way your body handles and metabolizes food.”
- Andrew W. Varga, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Additional coverage:
The Mercury News