Night owls experience more mental health issues than early birds and take longer to recover from work
· Medical Xpressby University of Eastern Finland
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Balancing work and personal life is more challenging for evening types, or "night owls," than for morning types, or "early birds." Evening types have a harder time recovering from work and are more likely to have mental health symptoms and diagnoses than morning types. Evening types also have less healthy lifestyles, although this does not explain the challenges with work-life balance or mental health issues that are emphasized among evening types compared with other circadian types.
A recent psychology study examined whether work-life balance challenges affect the association between individual circadian rhythm and depression and anxiety disorders, while also taking into account possible differences in health behavior between circadian types. The study also examined whether difficulties in balancing work and other areas of life could further explain the role of individual circadian type in depression and anxiety disorders. The research is published in the journal Sleep Health.
Conducted among 2,266 working-age individuals in Finland, the study divided participants into morning, evening and intermediate types based on their circadian rhythms. The researchers examined anxiety and depression symptoms, whether work spills over into leisure time and how well participants recover from work, for example.
The results showed that mental health problems are particularly pronounced among extreme evening types. The association between being a night owl and anxiety disorders appeared to be related to poor recovery from work and challenges in balancing work and personal life.
Mental health issues among working-age people are a growing challenge. It is therefore important to understand how working life affects mental health risks and identify who may be particularly vulnerable to negative effects.
"This way, measures to promote work-life balance and recovery from work can be targeted at the right people. This will also promote well-being at work and reduce inequality in the workplace," says Ilona Merikanto, the principal investigator of the research group.
More information
Ilona Merikanto et al, The role of recovery from work and work-life spillover in the association between chronotype and mental health problems: A population-based study, Sleep Health (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2026.03.001
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Sleep medicineSleep & RecoveryPsychiatryPsychology & Mental health Provided by University of Eastern Finland Who's behind this story?
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