While it is easy to distinguish between extreme larks and owls, there is no universally accepted standard used to differentiate the majority of people who fall somewhere in between lark and owl (i.e. Whatever your chronotype, sleeping for 7 to 8 hours nightly is recommended for all adults. It’s been suggested that because industrialized nations run on an 8:00am to 5:00pm schedule, larks should have an easier time conforming, while owls who are staying up late and have to get up early are chronically sleep deprived and develop a feeling termed “social jet lag.” You might be wondering whether it is better to be a lark or an owl.
Which Is Better For You? To Be a Lark or an Owl It is known that the vast majority of patients with major depression have sleep abnormalities - either they sleep too much or have insomnia and can’t sleep at all. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are commonly associated with abnormalities in circadian rhythms as well. According to Theodore Bushnell, a neurologist at the University of Washington, many patients with circadian rhythm disorders caused by shift work (shift work may include work hours that start late and end early in the morning, such as 10:00pm to 6:00am) also develop gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders such as glucose intolerance, diabetes, and hypertension. So, why is it important to understand your circadian rhythm?Ĭircadian rhythms are believed to affect a number of metabolic pathways. One important thing to do is to track how much sleep you are actually getting each night, so that you are aware of your overall patterns. This delay in falling asleep causes difficulty in waking up at the desired time. In addition, there are people at the extremes of the spectrum who have been diagnosed with a circadian rhythm sleep disorder defined as Advanced or Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, in which a person's sleep is off by two or more hours beyond the socially acceptable or conventional bedtime. There is a genetic component to our chronotype (the way in which we sleep and wake), and it is estimated that more than half the population in industrialized societies may have circadian rhythms that are out of sync with the daily schedule they keep. Early risers achieve their peak temperature early in the day and rise quickly and then plateau, while a late riser’s temperature rises slowly during the day and peaks at night. It is the circadian rhythm of our body temperature that determines why we behave as a lark or an owl. The SCN sends out neural signals that regulate body temperature, which fluctuates about one degree every 24 hours. Humans have a master time clock that resides in a portion of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that reacts to light entering the eye. Sleep researchers utilize the term chronotype to refer to the usual time people retire in the evening and awaken in the morning.Įarly risers are called “larks” and are more active in the morning, while those that sleep later and remain active past midnight are called “owls.” The Science Behind Circadian Rhythm Why is it that some people love mornings, while others hate getting up? Have you ever wondered why some people hit the gym at 6:00am and others tell you they never go to sleep before midnight and prefer to sleep in until 10:00am or 11:00am? Are you an early-riser or an all-nighter? And which sleep-wake pattern is better for your body?
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