Up all night? Study shows night owls face higher risk of health problems than early birds

Are you up late, or really early? Most people are either early birds that rise with the sun, or night owls awake until the wee hours. But which is better for your health?

Well, if you're a night owl, we've got bad news. Those who stay up late are more likely to face health problems than early risers. According to a study published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, people who stay up very late at night have a higher risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and muscle deterioration, even when they get the same amount of sleep as the rest of us.

Korean researchers who conducted the study looked at the sleep cycles of more than 1,600 people between the ages of 47 and 59. The results showed that regardless of their lifestyle, people who stayed up later were at a greater risk of developing those health problems than those who were early risers, one of the study's authors wrote.

There's not a real conclusion from the researchers on why this is the case. One theory suggests that night owls have poorer sleep quality, or that they engage in late-night behaviors such as smoking or snacking.

Click here for the study's results.