Many people naturally prefer staying up late and sleeping later in the morning. These individuals are often called “night owls” or evening types.
While society often views this as a simple lifestyle preference, scientists are increasingly finding that a person’s natural sleep schedule may be linked to important aspects of mental health.
A new study scheduled for presentation at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting suggests that people who naturally go to bed and wake up later may experience higher levels of anxiety and loneliness than those who prefer earlier schedules.
The findings indicate that loneliness, particularly loneliness experienced during the nighttime hours, may help explain why evening types often report poorer mental health.
Researchers have long been interested in chronotype, which refers to an individual’s natural preference for sleeping and waking at certain times. Some people feel most alert early in the morning and naturally wake up early.
Others function better later in the day and often prefer staying awake late into the night. These differences are largely influenced by biology and are not simply matters of choice.
However, modern society tends to operate on early schedules. Schools, workplaces, and many social activities often begin in the morning.
As a result, people with evening chronotypes may experience a mismatch between their natural body clock and daily obligations. This mismatch can create challenges for sleep, social relationships, and emotional well-being.
To better understand these issues, researchers from Brigham Young University conducted a study involving 442 participants recruited through an online research platform. The participants completed questionnaires designed to measure their chronotype, anxiety levels, and feelings of loneliness.
The researchers were particularly interested in nocturnal loneliness, which refers to feelings of loneliness experienced during the night. Nighttime can sometimes intensify emotional experiences because fewer people are awake, social interactions are limited, and individuals may spend more time alone with their thoughts.
The results revealed a clear pattern. Participants with later sleep schedules reported poorer mental health, higher levels of general loneliness, and higher levels of nocturnal loneliness. They also reported greater anxiety.
When the researchers analyzed the data more closely, they discovered that nighttime loneliness played an important role in the relationship between sleep timing and anxiety. Evening chronotypes were more likely to experience loneliness at night, and these feelings were associated with higher anxiety levels.
In fact, once nocturnal loneliness was taken into account, the direct link between chronotype and anxiety disappeared. This suggests that loneliness at night may be one of the key pathways connecting late sleep schedules to anxiety symptoms.
The findings are important because they offer new insight into why evening chronotypes may be more vulnerable to mental health difficulties.
Previous studies have shown that late sleepers often report higher rates of depression, anxiety, and emotional distress. This new research suggests that social experiences, especially those occurring during nighttime hours, may help explain part of the connection.
Researchers believe that evening types may sometimes feel socially disconnected because their schedules differ from those of family members, friends, coworkers, and classmates. When most people are asleep, opportunities for social interaction become limited, which may increase feelings of isolation.
The study also highlights the importance of sleep timing as a factor in overall health. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, healthy sleep involves not only getting enough hours of sleep but also maintaining appropriate timing, consistency, and quality.
Understanding the role of loneliness could help healthcare providers develop better interventions. Therapists and clinicians may be able to help evening chronotypes identify strategies to reduce social isolation, build supportive relationships, and manage nighttime anxiety more effectively.
The research abstract was published in an online supplement of the journal SLEEP and will be presented at SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about 6 foods you can eat to improve mental health, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and results showing Omega-3 fats may help reduce depression.
Source: Brigham Young University.
