Night Owls More Likely To Suffer Insomnia
ABC News Now
4/17/07

A new study in the 'Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine" shows that even though night owls sleep longer than early risers, they do not get what's called a good night sleep. Night owls are more likely to suffer from insomnia, experience daytime sleepiness, and even depression. But are these symptoms caused by a dysfunction in their biological clocks? Answering that question is Dr. Ulysses Magalang, medical director of the Ohio State University Sleep Disorder Center. Magalang says it turns out that whether one will feel sleepy or awake relates primarily to two processes. The first one is known as the sleep homeostat. And what that basically means is that the longer you stay awake, the more sleepy you become. Exactly where in the brain this happens is not known. The other process is what is known as the biological clock. And that is the body's own circadian rhythm.