The glow of our tablets, smartphones, and televisions is enough to delay the body’s nightly release of melatonin, the brain’s message that it is time for sleep. Your body feels like it's 3am while the sunrise outside tells your brain something different. Anyone who has taken an overnight flight knows the groggy feeling of jet lag upon landing. Studies have shown links between the length of certain period genes and people’s chronotypes, as well as the amount of sleep they need per night.Įnvironmental cues like light and diet (called “zeitgebers”) can work to alter our body’s sleep clock. Our preferences for early riser versus night owl behavior are encoded in genes called “clock” or “period” genes that regulate our circadian rhythms and are thus linked to our blood pressure, metabolism, body temperature, and hormone levels. There is never a question of who should get up with her in the middle of the night versus the early morning. I can also tell you from firsthand night owl experience that living with an early riser has made caring for our infant much easier. Someone needs to guard the cave at night! After all, it makes evolutionary sense for people to have varied sleep schedules. Scientists have long believed that our preferred sleep patterns (called our “chronotypes”) are genetically determined at birth. You may also have a personality that’s prone to. Overall, if you’re a night owl, then you’re more likely to be a bit of a risk taker. A night owl or an early bird I have often been called a night owl - I am part of the estimated 8.2 of the population whose natural inclination is to fall asleep after midnight. Now you know which one you are, let’s find out a bit more about what your results mean. I know plenty of folks who functon best in the early morning.ĭo we learn our sleep patterns or are they hard-wired in us from the start? Are there real biological differences between early risers and night owls? Let's find out. Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird can say a lot about your personality type. My happiness is not just because I’m gathering data to further my research, but also because my body and mind feel their best at night. Sabrina Stierwalt, the Everyday Einstein, bringing you Quick and Dirty Tips to help you make sense of science.Īs an astrophysicist, I am happiest when I am at a telescope observing distant galaxies. Scientific American and Quick & Dirty Tips are both Macmillan companies. Scientific American presents Everyday Einstein by Quick & Dirty Tips.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |