Why Your Bedtime Could Be Deadly

I’m a morning person by nature.

I love getting up at the crack of dawn and sipping my coffee on my porch as the sun comes up.

But I know plenty of people who burn the candle at the other end (my sons included).

If you happen to fall into the “night owl” category, I have some bad news for you today.

A recent study revealed that staying up late could have devastating consequences for your health.

According to a study published in Chronobiology International, staying up late could be more than just bad for your health… it could be deadly.

The researchers studied over 400,000 people between 38 and 73, gave them questionnaires to determine if they were morning or night people, and then tracked their deaths for six and a half years.

Believe it or not, the night owls had a 10% higher risk of dying than the morning people.

They also had a higher risk of diabetes or psychological disorders.

This just adds to previous studies showing that people who stay up later are more likely to be obese, and have high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

All other things being equal, how could something as simple as your bedtime have such a big impact on your health?

This particular problem isn’t about lack of sleep (which carries its own risks).

And believe it or not, it’s not necessarily a problem with circadian rhythm, either (not directly, anyway).

It’s true that following your body’s internal clock is important. But everyone’s clock can vary slightly based on their genes, making some people more genetically prone to be what we would call “night owls.”

The real problem for people who are prone to later bedtimes is the increased exposure to blue light.

Blue light is emitted from the sun early in the day, and it is essential for things like alertness, mood, and memory.

The problem is that nighttime brings excess exposure to blue light from things like light bulbs, TV screens, laptops, and even your cell phone.

And the later you study up, the more you tend to be exposed to blue light.

When your eyes take in all that blue light at night, your brain thinks it’s noon. And THAT’S what wreaks havoc with your body’s internal clock.

If you’re in the night owl category, there is a solution that can allow you to follow your body’s natural rhythm without exposing yourself to the risks of excessive blue light.

The answer is to simply download blue-light blocking apps or purchase films to put over the screens themselves that will cut out the blue light after the sun goes down.

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.