Adolescents who are naturally inclined to stay up late at night are more likely to suffer from insomnia as well as behavioral and emotional problems, reports ARY News.
Researchers surveyed 4,948 secondary school students in Hong Kong, ages 12 to 18, about their sleep habits and their physical and mental health. Overall, about 23 percent had a night owl or “eveningness” circadian rhythm, or a natural tendency to be late-to-bed and late-to-rise types.
Night owls were 88 percent more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than other teens and 25 percent more likely to have poor mental health.
Roughly half of these night owls had insomnia symptoms, especially trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. Insomnia was independently associated with more than tripled odds of emotional, behavioral and mental health issues.
