Gaby
It turns out that night owls, or those who thrive in the late hours, may age mentally faster than early risers. To investigate this, a team from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands conducted a decade-long study involving 23,798 participants aged 40 and older. Led by dementia expert Ana Wentzler, the team found that nighttime activity negatively impacts cognitive abilities, bringing individuals closer to dementia.
Tests showed it wasn’t just late bedtimes that contributed to cognitive decline. The study found that night owls with higher education levels faced an even greater risk of accelerated brain aging.
Additionally, harmful habits common among night owls, such as smoking—a known risk factor for developing dementia—also played a role in diminishing cognitive abilities. The study found that night owls often have less healthy lifestyles, which can hurt brain health.
Previous studies on this topic have produced mixed results and used different methods, Science Alert reported. Still, a large body of research links sleep patterns to quality of life, including studies that connect night shift work to numerous health problems.
The Burden of Knowledge
The team proposed several hypotheses about why well-educated night owls show significant cognitive decline. One potential culprit is fixed, early-morning work schedules. These individuals often have to wake up early even after going to bed late, leaving their brains little time to recover.
Another idea is that more educated individuals may have started with higher cognitive abilities, which makes any decline more noticeable.
Experts estimate about 57 million cases of dementia worldwide, a figure expected to more than double by 2050. So studying the causes of dementia is crucial.
“Given the increasing life expectancy and aging populations worldwide, maintaining cognitive health has become an urgent global challenge,” the researchers wrote in their report.
The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
