Believe it or not, your natural tendency to rise early or stay up late is at least partially
determined by your genes.
So, if you wish you could push on through into the wee hours of the night or rise and
shine before the break of dawn but can’t quite make it work, you know what to do.
Blame your parents.
Though keep in mind that any one sleep pattern is not necessarily the best.
Each has its distinct benefits and disadvantages which we will explain in this episode of The
Infographics Show, The Pros and Cons of Being a Night Owl versus a Morning Person.
While 70% of the population doesn’t really qualify as either early risers or night owls
and gets up at some point in between, a majority of the remaining thirty percent like to stay
up late, according to Aachen University research.
Why are there some of us that seem destined to sleep while others prefer to push on through?
Some theorize that it is due to our survival way back in the day before we lived in houses
with locks on each door and every window.
Out in the elements surrounded by danger, while some of us slept in darkness others
would have to remain alert to stand guard.
Then with the arrival of morning these roles would shift.
However, now in modern times, we no longer require such protection and those who prefer
to both go to bed and get up late are drastically out of sync with today’s 9-5 society.
Therefore, those who want and biologically need to stay in bed long after the work day
has begun, but can’t, may at times struggle.
Proponents of the morning bird schedule argue that genetic predisposition or not, our bodies
were intended to be functional during times of light and at rest in periods of dark.
In fact, research performed by doctor Phyllis C. Zee determined that it is critical for
our health to get a source of quality light between the hours of 8am and noon, and not
just later.
This is because light helps synchronize the internal functions of the body including our
circadian rhythms which determine our energy levels.
Thus, if we spend these critical hours indoors asleep things can get out of whack with the
function of our body.
This negatively impacts metabolism and can, in turn, cause an individual to gain weight.
It is also more likely that early risers will fit in a healthier and more balanced breakfast,
as opposed to grabbing a source of empty calories while in a rush and on the go.
Foods with protein can boost dopamine levels, which regulate stress and vitamins and minerals
will also give the mind and body the nutrition and fuel they need to operate at their best.
Those who eat breakfast only irregularly are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes
and the most rushed of all who skip a meal altogether have a higher risk of developing
coronary heart disease.
Beyond this, those who are early risers are also more likely to find the time to work
out on a regular basis before the day begins.
Alternatively, many of those who intend to exercise later either never find the opportunity
or become too exhausted by the end of the day.
In support of this, studies have proven that those attempting to lose weight are more successful
when they work out at an earlier time rather than later.
As exercise is linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as weight control,
this is yet an additional factor in early risers being leaner and physically healthier
than their night owl counter parts.
Early birds also use more positive language in their speech, appear more confident with
their body language, and are more likely to assert themselves than night owls.
They are generally happier overall.
This difference in mood is considerable.
Research at the University of Toronto has shown that those who either get up at or before
7 were as much as 25% happier than those who rose at a later hour.
And this is not just a superficial happiness, but a deeper mental well-being.
Experts suggest that those who get up with enough time to relax before the start of a
day feel fewer negative emotions such as stress.
Stress triggers the release of cortisol which causes feelings of anxiety.
Also, once again, it is another factor that triggers the production of body fat and increases
in weight.
In addition to an uplifted mood, those who rise early are also less likely to procrastinate
and are more proactive throughout the day.
This may be because they have the extra time to figure out what needs to be done during
the day before they must actually do it.
They also seem to be better at prioritizing what needs to be done it what order and at
what time.
Therefore, early riser’s stress levels decrease while their overall productivity increases.
Being proactive is also linked to better job success, career prospects, and salary.
Further, bosses, according to the Journal of Applied Psychology, often look more favorably
on employees who clock in early.
That is, unless they are night owls themselves.
This also transfers to school performance as well.
Grades of morning people were shown to be higher by a whole GPA point according to a
study at a university of North Texas.
Morning bird students in general are more likely to show up to class and not be late
as well as study their coursework than their later sleeping peers.
Further, it is believed that since they typically go to bed earlier that they naturally avoid
late-night behaviors that could negatively affect their academic performance, such as
drinking or partying.
Overall, early risers are less likely to use alcohol or smoke.
Now, there are some drawbacks to being the first to rise.
While both early birds and night owls showed similar performance on mental processing tests
an hour after waking, those who got up earlier performed worse after ten hours of being awake.
After ten hours night owls were still capable and alert.
Early birds’ physical skills appear to be more time-sensitive as well.
In a study of MLB player performance, those who identified themselves as early risers
played better games before 2pm.
Those who preferred to stay up late did better during games after 8 in the evening.
However, the night owls played much better during off-times than did their early worm
peers.
For example, at 3 pm which is after the best time for early risers and before the best
time for those who sleep in, those who got up later would show more skill.
In other words, those who wake up sooner appear to have an inferior physical ability starting
in the mid-afternoon that lasts for the rest of the day.
Now let’s delve deeper into the lives of those who thrive in the late-night hours.
While we mentioned that morning people are more likely to excel academically, night owls
have shown more promising results on memory, mental processing speed, and cognitive ability
testing.
This was no matter the time the tasks were performed.
Further, another study by the London School of Economics and Political Science found that
middle and high school students who had scored highest on indicators of intelligence went
to bed and woke up later.
Further still, night owl teens in a study in Madrid were better able to come to logical
conclusions when given a series of facts.
In other words, staying up late and sleeping in just might make night owls a bit smarter.
That, or they are better at taking many different types of tests.
As previously described, they also perform at a higher level mentally after being awake
for longer and are better physically, at least at baseball, later in the day with superior
off-time performance ability.
However, there is yet additional evidence that they are physically stronger in other
ways.
A University of Alberta study, for example, looked at leg strength of its participants.
While this remained about the same for morning people for all hours of the day, night owls
showed a unique peak strength in evening hours.
This is due to increased activity of the part of the brain that triggers muscle movement
combined with enhanced spinal cord stimulation.
For morning risers, these two things never take place simultaneously.
Beyond being a bit smarter with superior physical power, night owls are generally more creative
as well.
A study by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan found that they could
easily draw pictures when told to use only curved or straight lines.
Early risers had difficulty with this task and could barely get an average score.
The reason for this may be that since they spend considerable time each day doing things
differently from the rest of society, late risers are used to going against the grain
and thinking outside of the box.
Further, because they must find ways to still function despite an often-conflicting schedule,
they are experts at successfully navigating obstacles and developing on-the-fly solutions.
They may also use the wee hours of the night while others are fast asleep to perfect their
various skillsets and abilities.
Essentially those who go to bed later but, due to a job or other obligation must still
wake up at a reasonable time, have more hours each day in which they are awake and they
may use this time to practice, improve, and learn.
Night owls are also more likely to be open minded and seek out new and exciting experiences
or take a risk.
Some believe that their ability to put more on the line allows them to seize opportunities
as they present themselves which may translate to greater on-the-job success.
This may be why some research has shown that they make more money than those who get up
earlier in the day.
Unfortunately for those who thrive at nighttime, despite the benefits, there are disadvantages
that the lifestyle can bring.
Because of the way society is currently structured, most are prone to not getting enough sleep.
Main hours for most essential activities are between 9 and 5 and so attempting to follow
this schedule while also staying up late can result in problems.
Among other things, it may leave people feeling continually exhausted and stressed from trying
to do it all despite a lack of sleep.
Further, those who stay up late often have more difficulty clearing their minds even
once they decide it’s time for bed.
When 700 individuals participated in a Brown University study it was discovered that while
20% of early risers had insomnia, that figure was twice as high for those who preferred
to postpone sleep.
Chronic exhaustion doesn’t help with emotional health.
In addition, brain differences in later sleepers indicate they may be more susceptible to mental
illness.
For example, they have less white matter for neural communication in certain areas of their
brains which has been linked to the development of depression.
Beyond this, having to force themselves to continue to function at times when their minds
and bodies would rather be asleep is also why some researchers believe night owls may
also be moodier and have a lower sense of satisfaction.
Their physical wellness is impacted too.
Those who go to sleep much later who also have type 2 diabetes are more challenged to
control their blood sugar and had higher triglycerides and levels of LDL cholesterol.
The lack of early morning light which is crucial to function of the body’s internal clock
leads to issues among the general population as well.
These include a greater risk of coronary artery disease, glucose intolerance, and metabolic
syndrome.
In addition to this, those who sleep later often exercise less often and are more likely
to eat an unhealthy breakfast or skip it altogether.
Further, many tend to eat a lot of their day’s calories at dinnertime or long after dinner
is over.
This all contributes to weight gain which makes any health problems even worse.
As science indicates, despite many night owl perks, being early to rise is better for one’s
emotional and physical well-being.
It may therefore be tempting for some to try to change their habits to going to bed and
getting up sooner.
Unfortunately, for many this will not be an easy change and research has shown that night
owls forcing themselves to adopt early bird habits, for some reason or other, did little
to make them happier.
Compromising many night owls’ efforts is also the fact that, unlike early risers, they
have a longer than 24-hour long sleep cycle.
This means that left to their own devices they would go to bed later and later every
day and also get up later than the previous day as well.
In contrast, early birds naturally go to bed and get up at around the same time.
So, by trying to adopt not only an earlier but a set daily schedule for their sleep,
night owls are not just shifting their pattern but drastically altering it as well.
It is possible.
But when you’re in the middle of something exciting at 10pm or cozy under your sheets
in the early morning, you may wonder if it’s truly worth it.
You may just prefer to function as a semi-zombie most days and make up for a sleep deficit
following the end of the work week.
What are you, a night owl, a morning bird, or somewhere in between?
If a night owl, are you worried about your health enough to change?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called I Slept 3 Hours A Day For A Week And
This Is What Happened!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and
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See you next time!