Night owls more susceptible to stress and at-risk behaviours

Night owls, namely people who stay up until very late, respond less well to stress and are more likely to develop risky behaviours such as smoking and drinking than early risers, research from the University of Pisa conducted on a sample of 120 healthy adults has found. The study is published in Chronobiology International and the lead author is Francy Cruz Sanabria.

"Analyzing sleep-related behaviors and habits over the years has shown that we are not all the same," noted the study's coordinator Ugo Faraguna of the University of Pisa. "About 15 percent of people can, in fact, be defined as owls, that is, they are more active at night, stay up later in the evening and have difficulty in the morning,” he explained. “Conversely, about 15 percent tend to wake up very early and make the most of the early hours of the day, the so-called larks,” he added.

The researchers found that owls have a lower capacity to respond to traumatic or stressful events, such as bereavement or family separation, with responses sometimes resulting in risky behaviors such as smoking or drinking. Bracelets designed by the start-up Sleepacta at the University of Pisa were used to monitor sleep quality.

For Faraguna, this research is a first step towards raising awareness of the importance of sleep quality, "just as happened with blood pressure monitoring to reduce circulatory risks."