Education
Night owls die earlier due to drinking, smoking – Study reveals
People who tend to stay up late are not more likely to die younger than early risers — as long as they don’t use those longer nights for drinking and smoking, a 37-year-long study suggested on Friday.
Previous research has shown that night owls, who stay up later and struggle to drag themselves out of bed in the morning, are more likely to suffer from a range of health problems.
In 2018, a large study in the UK found that evening people had a 10 percent higher risk of dying than morning people over a 6.5-year period.
While that was potentially worrying news for the world’s night owls, that research did not take into account factors, such as alcohol-consumption, that could be behind those deaths.
So researchers in Finland sought to find out more in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Chronobiology International.
The study followed nearly 24,000 same-sex twins in Finland, who were asked in 1981 to identify whether they were a morning or an evening person.
A third said they were somewhat an evening person, while 10 percent said they definitely were. The rest were morning people.
The evening people tended to be younger, and tended to drink and smoke more.
When the researchers followed up in 2018, more than 8,700 of the twins had died.
Over the 37 years, the researchers found that the definite night owls had a nine percent higher risk of death from all causes — a similar rate to the 2018 study.
But that difference was “mainly due to smoking and alcohol”, the study said.
For example, it found that non-smoker night owls who were light drinkers were no more likely to die earlier than morning people.
Night owls and drugs
The study’s lead author, Christer Hublin of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, told AFP the results showed that night owls can act if they want to lower their risk of an early death.
“Clearly evening people should critically think about the amount of alcohol and tobacco they are using,” he said.
Independent of other factors, the time when people tend to sleep, known as their chronotype, has “little or no” contribution to their mortality, Hublin added.
Jeevan Fernando, a chronotype researcher at Cambridge University not involved in the study, told AFP that while the findings were sound, the research had limitations.
That participants merely self-identified as morning or evening people was “unsatisfactory because it does not include any objective information” unlike more modern methods, he said.
The study also failed to include drugs other than alcohol and tobacco, he said: cocaine in particular had been linked to people changing from early to late risers.
Fernando has previously led research that showed night owls have worse mental health — particularly anxiety — and that drug use could exacerbate the problem.
The Federal Polytechnic Ayede, Oyo State, has announced that its 2024/2025 matriculation ceremony will take place on Thursday, 27th March 2025.
In a statement signed by the institution’s Protocols and Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday Adepoju, on behalf of the Rector, Engr. Dr Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed, the event is scheduled to hold at the polytechnic’s temporary site in Iresa-Pupa, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to the statement, the academic procession will commence at 9:00 a.m., followed by the main ceremony at 10:00 a.m.
Established in 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Federal Polytechnic Ayede admitted its pioneer students in the 2022/2023 academic session. Initially, the institution commenced with four departments: Science Laboratory Technology, Computer Engineering Technology, Computer Science, and Statistics.
By the 2023/2024 academic session, the institution expanded its academic offerings with eight additional National Diploma (ND) programmes, increasing the total to 12. The newly introduced courses include Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technology, Agricultural Technology, Science Laboratory Technology, Computer Science, Statistics, Tourism Management Technology, Estate Management and Valuation, Urban and Regional Planning, Accountancy, Business Administration and Management, and Public Administration.
These 12 ND programmes are structured under five academic schools, School of Agricultural Technology,School of Science and Technology, School of Engineering Technology, School of Environmental Technology and School of Management Sciences.
The institution also announced that the orientation programme for fresh students commenced on Tuesday, 25th March, and will continue on Wednesday, 26th March, at the Iresa-Pupa temporary site. The programme will feature addresses from distinguished scholars and professionals, providing guidance to the new students on academic and campus life.
Since its inception, Federal Polytechnic Ayede has recorded remarkable strides in academic excellence, infrastructural development, training and re-training, as well as sports and extracurricular activities.
The management of Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, has scheduled the 2024/2025 matriculation ceremony for Thursday, March 27, 2025.
According to a statement by the University Registrar, Mrs. Olubunmi Siju’ Asunmo, the event will commence at 10:00 a.m. at the University Board of Trustees (BOT) Large Lecture Theatre and will be presided over by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Olaniyan.
The matriculation lecture will be delivered by Prof. Olatunde O. Fawole, a former Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and former Chairman of the Committee of Provosts and Deans at LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.
The university has urged all stakeholders, including Senate members, management staff, deans, directors, heads of departments, service divisions, faculty officers, and students’ representatives, to be seated by 9:30 a.m. prompt for a smooth event.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the sale of the 2025 Direct Entry (DE) forms will commence on Wednesday, March 12.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Monday. He emphasized that the registration process is essential for individuals with degrees, diplomas, or A-level certificates seeking admission into their preferred universities.
“The initiation of the DE sales follows the successful conclusion of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) application sales, which ended on Saturday, March 8, 2025,” the statement read.
According to JAMB, a total of 2,030,627 candidates registered for the 2025 UTME, with 200,115 participating in the Mock-UTME and 630 in the trial mock examination.
The board warned prospective Direct Entry applicants to ensure they meet all entry requirements, as any false declaration of qualifications would attract serious penalties.
“A special committee will verify all submitted advanced-level qualifications, and any fraudulent results will lead to prosecution. Additionally, institutions are encouraged to directly verify certificates before considering admissions,” the board stated.
JAMB also clarified that registration for the Direct Entry process can only be done at designated JAMB Professional Registration Centres (PRCs).
As the registration date approaches, candidates are advised to adhere to all guidelines and ensure that their credentials are properly verified to avoid disqualification.
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