Teenage 'Night Owls' More Likely To Act Impulsively

Key Takeaways

Teens who prefer to be night owls tend to be more impulsive

They are more likely to act rashly when feeling negative emotions and quit difficult tasks

However, this impulsivity is only tied to their sleep preferences, not their internal body clock

FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Teenagers who are night owls appear to be more self-destructively impulsive, a new study says.

Teens who prefer to sleep and wake later are more impulsive than “early bird” teenagers, researchers are scheduled to report at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

However, this association doesn’t appear to be linked to the teens’ internal body clocks, researchers said.

The data didn’t tie teenage impulsivity to their levels of melatonin , a hormone