Night owls may be at higher risk for diabetes, researchers say

BOSTON - Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital analyzed data on more than 63,000 nurses and found those who reported going to bed late and waking up late had a 19% higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. 

These night owls were also more likely to drink alcohol in higher quantities, have a lower quality diet, get fewer hours of sleep a night, smoke, and be more sedentary. 

They say preferring to go to sleep early or go to sleep late could be genetically determined and therefore may be hard to change. 

But night owls may need to pay more attention to their lifestyle because their sleep habits may alone increase their risk for Type 2 diabetes.  

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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