Are you the early bird who catches the worm?
Or are you the night owl who enjoys the peace and tranquility of the darkness?
People are generally one or the other and each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s take a closer look at both…
Research shows that ‘morning versus evening’ types are also of a classic ‘left versus
right-brain’ division; that is to say, those people who get up early tend to be more analytical
and methodical, thus use the left side of their brain more, whereas night owls tend
to be more creative or artistic, relying heavily on the right side of their brain.
Research has also found that night owls suffer with poor attention rates, slow reactions
and increased drowsiness throughout the day.
Early birds are mostly viewed in a positive light as being productive go-getters, but
the truth is that we cannot simply push ourselves to be one or the other.
Science reveals that we are genetically geared by our chronotypes to be morning or night
creatures.
Light exposure also affects our body clocks.
The sleep hormone, melatonin, is naturally produced when we are exposed to darkness,
but suppressed when there is light.
This explains why we generally awake when sunlight enters the bedroom and become sleepy
when the sun goes down and evening comes around.
Although early birds may achieve more academically, night owls tend to benefit from better memory
retention, increased processing speeds and faster cognitive skills.
They are also more open to new experiences, keen to experiment and have higher IQs.
On the other hand, early risers are less likely to suffer from depression or become addicted
to alcohol or cigarettes.
Of course, we cannot group all morning or night people into only two categories and
expect that they have all the same characteristics - these observations are quite broad, but
scientists do see many common regularities.
Naturally, our sleep patterns will also be largely influenced by our age, our work or
our family life.
For example, senior citizens are famous for sleeping and waking early, probably because
their bodies become weaker and less active.
Jobs which require overnight shifts will result in sleeping during the day, newborn babies
will disrupt sleep routines and even jet lag from long-haul flights will affect our cycles.
Encouraging night owls to become early birds is no easy task and will often have negative
results.
If someone who usually sleeps late is forced to wake early, their melatonin levels will
be completely out of whack, as will their glucose levels which can often lead to weight
gain, decreased productivity and typically, create irritation or frustration.
However, if people are left to control their natural body clock, they will perform better,
they will be in higher spirits and they will not resent sunrise or sunset.
It goes without saying that for newborn babies, the rules go right out of the window!
But ultimately, the ideal is to help them understand that darkness means rest or sleep
and that light means activity.
In that sense, we are helping to create their future sleep patterns and determine whether
they will become early birds or night owls…if we let them sleep longer in the daytime, they
will most likely be awake during the night; but that’s a topic for another day!
Haven’t you heard the phrase “Never wake a sleeping baby!”?
Just ask any new mother…ZZzzzzz