The researchers recorded the exact time at which 635 type 2 diabetes patients went to bed every night. The results showed that 25 percent of the subjects got to bed at 10:52 p.m. on average, while 23 percent were staying up until 12:36 a.m. on average. Despite being a somewhat subtle shift in sleep time—about an hour and 45 minutes—the researchers noticed a huge difference in lifestyles between the groups. “Our research [shows] that night owls exercise 56 percent less than their early bird counterparts,” study co-author Joseph Henson, MD, of the University of Leicester in Australia, said in a statement. “This makes understanding the factors that can mitigate a person’s propensity to exercise extremely important.” The researchers drew the conclusion that night owls were simply less likely to seize the morning opportunity to work out—and therefore lead less healthy lifestyles. “The links between later sleep times and physical activity are clear: go to bed late and you’re less likely to be active,” study co-author Alex Rowlands, MD, of the University of South Australia added. The good news? Now’s the time to “change your lifestyle for the better, simply by adjusting your bedtime,” Rowlands explained. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb There’s no shortage of scientific evidence backing up the benefits of an earlier bedtime. One study found that sleeping even 15 minutes less a night could lead to considerable weight gain thanks to a boost in late-night snacking and the “hunger hormone” ghrelin. And other research has found that getting in your eight hours at a reasonable time can lower your anxiety levels and boost your immune system. Need some help hitting the hay before midnight? Sleep experts recommend that you put your phone down an hour before bedtime, stop eating three hours before you go to bed, swap out late-night strenuous exercise with yoga, or read some fiction, NBC News Reports. And for more on getting in your full 40 winks, check out This One Thing Can Cure Your Insomnia, New Study Says. Read the original article on Best Life.
