Being A Night Owl May Increase Asthma & Allergies In Teens, Study Says

Most teens have probably tested the limits of their alarm clock's snooze button or pleaded with their parents for "five more minutes" of sleep. According to new research, struggling to wake up isn't the only side effect of going to sleep late. 

Previous research has shown a connection between the circadian rhythm, the sleep hormone (melatonin), and asthma1. Researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, wanted to explore the connection further while focusing on the sleep patterns of teenagers. 

The study analyzed 1,684 teens between the ages of 13 and 14, living in West Bengal, India. Participants were asked to share their experiences with wheezing, asthma, runny noses, and sneezing. They also answered questions that revealed whether the teens were early birds, night owls, or somewhere in between. 

Kids who stayed up and slept in later were three times more likely to have asthma and two times more likely to suffer from allergic rhinitis than those who went to sleep earlier. 

"Our results suggest there's a link between preferred sleep time and asthma and allergies in teenagers," Moitra says. More research is needed to confirm whether staying up late causes asthma, but Moitra believes disrupting the body's natural sleep hormone, melatonin, may trigger an allergic response.