Research

Mixed

Being a definite evening chronotype is associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to being a definite morning type, even after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking, and comorbidities.

If you are a definite evening type, be aware that your natural schedule may carry a slightly higher mortality risk, largely due to misalignment with societal norms. You can mitigate this by prioritizing morning light exposure, avoiding late-night artificial light, and ensuring your diet and sleep habits are optimized. Consider advocating for flexible work hours if possible.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Compared to definite morning types, definite evening types had significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.18, p = 0.012).
Kristen L. Knutson et al. · Chronobiology International · 2018

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=433,268) with long follow-up (6.5 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Associations between chronotype, morbidity and mortality in the UK Biobank cohort

Kristen L. Knutson et al. · Chronobiology International · 2018

DOI 10.1080/07420528.2018.1454458

cohort · n=433268Cited 268×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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