lack of sleep
Description
Learn how night-time sleeping habits can affect your health and what steps you can take to achieve a healthier sleep pattern.
The early bird society is harmful to the health of night owls: risks and solutions
Introduction
Did you know that night owls, i.e. people who prefer to go to bed late, have a 10% higher risk of dying prematurely than early risers? This surprising figure comes from a large UK Biobank study involving more than 430,000 participants. And it suggests a causal link that has not been investigated at all. The result says nothing about the health consequences of sleeping habits, but rather about the health consequences for night owls in a "early bird society".
Sleeping late doesn't just mean being tired the next day. It can significantly affect your lifespan if you are forced to get up early.
This topic is particularly relevant because many people cannot organise their daily lives according to their natural biorhythm, whether they regularly work overtime or have to work night shifts at their desk as students, their baby does not sleep through the night or they simply cannot get to sleep.
What it's all about:
the health risks for night owls
which lifestyle habits increase these risks
how you can adjust your sleep pattern
What does it mean to be a "night owl"?
Night owls are people who naturally prefer to go to bed late and get up later in the morning. In contrast, early risers are people who are particularly productive in the morning.
This tendency is called chronotype, i.e. the settings of your internal clock for sleep and activity.
The UK Biobank study defines night owls as people who regularly prefer evening activities and have difficulty getting up early. For example, someone who falls asleep after midnight and doesn't feel awake until well after 8 a.m. is considered a night owl.
The problem is that our society is geared towards early risers. Government offices, work, school and social commitments start early, forcing night owls to go to bed at unnatural times. This leads to chronic sleep disorders and has a negative long-term impact on health.
Roots in history
Society's preference for early rising and the associated moral self-righteousness of many early risers have historical, cultural and social roots that have developed over centuries.
Historically, getting up early has been closely linked to working life and the economy. Before electrification, sunrise and sunset determined the daily routine. It was necessary to get up early in order to start work on time – in the fields, in workshops or, later, in factories.
Around 700 BC, Hesiod recommended in Works and Days for the harvest season:
„For the period of dawn takes up a third part of a full day’s work. Dawn gets you started on your journey, and it gets you started on your work.“
Hesiod was actually considered a kind of "philosopher-farmer" in ancient literary history. He explicitly describes himself in Works and Days as a farmer who also teaches. His wisdom does not arise from theoretical speculation, but from farming experience combined with mythical and moral reflection.
Even in ancient times, those who got up early demonstrated reliability, discipline and a willingness to work hard, qualities that, especially since early capitalism, have been declared social norms and prerequisites for success and social advancement.
This makes it understandable why getting up early today is not just an individual sleeping preference, but a social value with moral connotations. In German culture, this classification as a bourgeois secondary virtue was reinforced by later political and social developments, culminating in unbearably stupid image campaigns such as the slogan "Land of early risers" in some regions of Germany (e.g. Saxony-Anhalt) in the early 2000s. They were intended to distinguish an "early riser mentality" as a sign of diligence and perseverance and even aimed to establish industriousness and social reliability as a regional cultural identity, which again implies a moral judgement of getting up early or late.
The moral self-righteousness of many early risers thus derives from such cultural influences: those who get up early feel "decent", "hard-working" and "productive", while late risers are assumed to be lazy, careless or lacking in responsibility. Such attributions are unconscious but deeply rooted in society and today convey neoliberal social norms that promote self-righteousness and the exclusion of "night owls" in public discourse.
In modern society, this dominance of early risers is evident, as mentioned above, at an institutional level: working hours, school start times and public social activities are all geared towards an early start to the day. This "dictatorship of early risers" significantly disadvantages or stigmatises people with different biological rhythms, such as "late sleepers" and "night owls," and, as the study shows, even affects their health.
The dangers for night owls in an early riser society
Increased risk of death
The study shows that night owls have a roughly 10% higher risk of dying early than early risers.
This means that society not only robs people with this chronotype of energy, but also poses a measurable risk to their health.
Consistently going to bed late and being forced to get up early puts the body under stress. This affects the cardiovascular system, metabolism and hormone balance, among other things.
Chronic sleep disorder
Night owls living in an early bird world have to sacrifice their sleep or constantly postpone it.
This leads to:
a weakened immune system,
an increased tendency to inflammation, and
concentration problems and a worse mood.
Experts refer to this as "social jet lag," the difference between your internal clock and external demands.
Higher risk of depression
According to the study, night owls suffer more frequently from depression and other mental health problems. On the other hand, difficulty falling asleep and "morning lows" are also core symptoms of depression.
Lack of sleep, social isolation during the night and irregular routines definitely increase feelings of loneliness, anxiety and stress.
All of the mental health issues mentioned above also have a negative impact on physical health.
Compensatory consumption of alcohol and tobacco
People with late sleep patterns statistically drink and smoke more often, often to counteract the effects of sleep deprivation and difficulty falling asleep.
This increases the risk of:
Heart and vascular diseases
Cancer
liver problems.
According to the study, these habits are an additional factor in the increased risk of death.
Solution: Adjust your sleep pattern and lifestyle
The most important step: bring your sleep pattern into line with your internal clock and daylight hours as much as possible.
Practical measures:
Regular bedtimes
Go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day.
Reduce screen time in the evening
Blue light slows down the release of melatonin.
Daylight in the morning
promotes alertness and resets the internal clock.
Alcohol and nicotine
impair sleep quality and health.
Promote sleep quality
especially through exercise or psychological counselling (CBT-I).
Avoid revenge bedtime procrastination (RBP)
deliberately going to bed later in order to engage in leisure activities, often to regain a sense of control or freedom after a busy or stressful day.
Even small adjustments can significantly improve your health and quality of life in the long term.
Conclusion
The research is clear: people who consistently go to bed late are at higher risk of health problems and premature death in Western society. In addition to sleep itself, lifestyle factors and mental health play a decisive role.
With conscious changes to your sleep and lifestyle and, if necessary, psychotherapeutic support, you can reduce your risk and lead a healthier, longer life.
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