The study saw the participation of 1,684 adolescents aged 13 or 14 years, in West Bengal, India. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock)

Besides drinking water, sleeping is the other essential activity that doctors insist you pay attention to. While every human being is advised to clock in at least seven hours of sleep every night, the timing of it is essential, too. A recent study has found that teenagers who stay up late at night and sleep in till late morning, are more susceptible to allergies and asthma, compared to those who sleep and wake up on time.

Published in the journal ERJ Open Research, the study was conducted and led by Dr Subhabrata Moitra from the University of Alberta, Cananda — from the department of pulmonary medicine at the university — who carried it out while at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain.

Researchers said the findings of the study reinforce the importance of sleep, especially in teens. The study saw the participation of 1,684 adolescents aged 13 or 14 years, in West Bengal, India. The participants were asked a series of questions on whether they were ‘morning types’, ‘evening types’, or somewhere in between; what time of the day they felt tired, when do they choose to wake up, etc. They were also asked about any wheezing they experienced, asthma, allergic symptoms like runny nose and sneezing.

The researchers compared their symptoms with their sleep preferences, and also took into account other factors that are known to cause effects of asthma like living conditions and living with a family member who smokes. It was found that the chances of having asthma was roughly three times higher in teenagers who preferred sleeping late, and waking up late.

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“Our results suggest there’s a link between preferred sleep time, and asthma and allergies in teenagers. We can’t be certain that staying up late is causing asthma, but we know that the sleep hormone melatonin is often out of sync in late-sleepers and that could, in turn, be influencing teenagers allergic response,” Dr Moitra was quoted as saying.