(Tim Newman/ Medical News Today) — The first international review to compare night owls with early risers outlines the health risks associated with preferring late nights. However, these risks may not be set in stone.
Most individuals fit one of two chronotypes: We are morning people or evening people. Either we prefer to stay up late — and are referred to as night owls — or we rise earlier and go to bed earlier. These patterns in circadian preferences are, to a certain extent, written in our genes.
Over the years, the medical community has debated the health impacts associated with each chronotype, and the findings have not always been conclusive.
To develop a clearer picture, a group of scientists from a number of institutions have conducted the most extensive review of relevant research to date. Their findings were published recently in the journal Advances in Nutrition. (…)