Research claims that sleeping late could increase the risk of asthma and allergies in teenagers

New Delhi : A large number of people are night owls today, especially the millennials. While most of us would say that there's nothing wrong with that but the fact remains that staying up late has it's drawbacks. It does take a toll on our body and can cause a lot of health problems as well. Mostly, it's the teenagers who prefer staying up till late at night and wake up even later. Teens do this in order to seem cool and also to get some personal or rather alone time and privacy in most cases. Though we do value privacy, staying up late has been linked to asthma and allergies in teens.

In a recent study, published in the journal ERJ Open Research, it was found that teens who sleep late are more prone to suffer from asthma and allergies. Our body's internal clock plays a major role in our health. The study was conducted and led by Dr Subharata Moitr a from the University of Alberta, Canada. According to him, exposure to pollution and tobacco smoke also play a major role in it. But other than that, the sleep hormone called melatonin has also been linked to asthma. The symptoms experienced by teenagers was compared with their sleep preference. 

As per the research, the risk of developing asthma is 3 times higher in those who sleep late and wake up late. Similarly, the risk of developing allergies is 2 times higher as compared to those who sleep early. The team of researchers plan on conducting this study again in a few years to see if there is any change in the sleeping pattern and how it affects a teenager's health. During this study, other factors, like family history and their living arrangements and other such things, are taken into account. They claim that it is important that we encourage the teenagers around us to sleep early and reduce their screen time at night because that could reduce this health risk but it needs to be studied more in-depth.