Love staying up late and sleeping in as often as possible? You might want to flip the switch on your schedule to avoid significant future damage to your overall health. There are many benefits to going to sleeping earlier each night and making a sleep routine that includes waking early. Getting a full night of sleep can greatly help with your memory, mood, cardiovascular health, weight loss and maintenance, motor function, work performance and athletic performance.
Here are five healthy reasons to go to bed early.
1. Night owls are at higher risk for some disorders
Night owls have a 10 percent higher risk of dying sooner than people who go to bed early in the evening, reports a study by the University of Surrey in the UK. How come? Pushing your body clock back has both a psychological and physiological effect on your behavior. You feel more stressed, you eat later (and therefore store more calories), and you tend not to exercise.
2. Eating an early breakfast is healthier
The earlier you eat breakfast, the lower your diabetes risk. A study by the University of Illinois-Chicago found that people who rose in time to eat a healthy meal between 7 and 8:30 a.m. had a lower BMI, and improved their diabetes symptoms and cut their risk for the disease over time. On the other hand, people who slept later and ate breakfast between 7:30 and 9 a.m. saw no improvement in their BMI or existing diabetes symptoms, and did not cut their risk for developing the disease if they didn’t yet have it.
3. Missing sleep increases your risk for Alzheimer’s
Losing sleep for just one night can cause a 5 percent increase in your chance of developing Alzheimer’s, according to the NIH. The reason is an increase in the protein beta-amyloid, which can clump to form plaque in the thalamus and hippocampus regions of the brain (the parts that are vulnerable to Alzheimer’s). The more sleep you get, the less risk you face.
4. Lack of sleep causes inflammation
Sleeping less than seven hours a night can create inflammation in your system, potentially leading to illnesses arthritis, reported researchers at the Ohio State Institute for Behavioral Science. The study also found that lack of sleep can make you more vulnerable to emotional stress, causing possible conflict in your relationships.
5. Sleeping earlier is better for your sleep schedule
Going to bed earlier can regulate your sleep schedule. Once you figure out your body’s set “sleep need” amount, you’ll be able to awaken naturally at just the right time every morning—no more feeling groggy as you’re running late to work. How do you figure out that amount
For four to seven nights, go to bed at your usual time. Then, get up without an alarm clock in the morning every day. (It’s best to do this when you have time off from work, or don’t have to rise early, if possible.) Average the hours you naturally slept for those four to seven nights together that average is your sleep need, and the hours you should use as your nightly sleep guideline.
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