What time should you wake up to increase your life expectancy?

1

To live longer and better quality, you need to monitor the quality and quantity of sleep. The time of awakening also plays a big role.

Usually people are divided into “larks” and “owls” by this feature. In the study, it is said that the former live longer than the latter.

“Owls” are at their peak in the second half of the day, which is why they can spend the night. According to midnight, it is at this time that inspiration visits them. “Larks” easily get up early in the morning and are most active in the first half of the day, but they fall asleep by ten in the evening.

The experts studied the data of 433,268 people aged 38 to 73. They followed their health for an average of six and a half years, tracking the cause of death.

After taking into account age and gender, unhealthy habits, body mass index, sleep duration and other variables, experts found that compared to ” larks” in “owls” the risk of death from any cause is increased by 10 percent.

The probability of psychological disorders at midnight is almost twice as high as among those who get up early. They also have a 30 percent higher probability of developing diabetes.

The risk of respiratory diseases in “owls” was 23 percent higher, and gastrointestinal diseases – by 22 percent.

Gastric -intestinal disorders include conditions such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, abscesses, anal fistulas, infections, diverticular disease, colitis, colon polyps, and cancer.

According to the author of the study Kristen L. Knutson, a professor of neurology at Northwestern University, the “owl” type is partly determined by genetics, but if you want, you can make adjustments to your “schedule” and become a “lark”.

Knutson advises to gradually go to bed and get up earlier, avoid smartphones before going to bed and eventually leave the “owl zone”.

Usually three main chronotypes are distinguished: early (“larks”), intermediate (“pigeons”) and late (” owls”). Sometimes for research purposes, a more detailed gradation is used – up to seven chronotypes.

For example, there are very early “larks” and very late “owls”. The first go to bed no later than half past eight in the evening, and wake up at half past five in the morning. Their tendency to go to sleep early is called FASPS – familial advanced sleep phase syndrome.

Very late “owls” stay up all night and fall asleep closer to dawn. This condition is called DSPS – delayed sleep phase syndrome.