A new study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience sheds light on the relationship between being an evening person and experiencing longer delays in falling asleep. The study confirmed that individuals who are naturally inclined to stay up late take more time to fall asleep compared to morning types. Individuals with a history of depression showed even longer delays in falling asleep if they identified as evening types, potentially increasing their risk for future depressive episodes. Previous research has consistently linked eveningness, the natural tendency to stay awake later, with poorer sleep quality. Evening types report more trouble falling asleep, shorter sleep durations, and waking up more often during the night. However, many of these findings rely on self-reported data, which might not always reflect actual sleep patterns. The research team wanted to assess whether these sleep disturbances could be confirmed with objective measurements using an actigraph, which tracks sleep by measuring movements. They also explored whether rumination, or repetitive thinking before sleep, could explain these sleep difficulties, and whether having a history of …