Are you a night owl — someone who stays up late and sleeps in most mornings — or an early bird who rises with the sun? Or maybe you're somewhere in between?
I'll just tell you upfront I am a night owl. Always have been and probably always will be. I've gone through phases where I've tried to correct that, and I can see the advantages to getting up early, but I typically fall back into my old habits within weeks without even trying. For some reason, I get the best of sleep of my life between 4 and 10 a.m.
It's not easy being a night owl in our society. People see you as lazy or undisciplined. I remember years ago, I had to move back in with my parents for a few months after the people who owned the house I was renting went bankrupt (this was during the Great Recession), and after a few days, my mother told me I was not just gonna live there and "sleep all day" because I slept a couple of hours later than she did. I wish I knew then what I know now. I could correct her with science.
As it turns out, our genetics actually play a role in what hours we sleep best. But it all comes down to your chronotype or "your body’s natural preference to sleep and wake at certain times of the day." Here's more from UCLA Health:
It’s closely related to circadian rhythm, which is the 24-hour internal clock that regulates a wide range of body processes, such as sleep, digestion and hormone release.
Your chronotype is the subjective way you experience your circadian rhythm. In other words, your 24-hour daily cycle may or may not align with sunrise and sunset, depending on when your body naturally wants to wake up and go to sleep. Your chronotype determines your peak time for concentration, physical performance and creativity.
Age can impact your chronotype. Children tend to be early bids, but as they hit adolescence, their desire to stay up late and sleep later in the morning grows. At some point during later adulthood, many of us naturally regress back to earlier wake and sleep times.
Social factors and other outside influences can also impact, like lifestyle factors, light exposure, and social factors, like work and family schedules. Personally, I would add that geographic location affects mine. When I'm in Costa Rica — where the sun rises and sets at nearly the same time every day for 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark — I tend to get up and go to bed earlier.
But genetics also play a role — a bigger role than we knew up until a few years ago. A 2019 study found that over 350 gene locations impact your chronotype. Previously, scientists believed that number was only 24.
Michael Brues, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sleep expert, suggests that there are four main chronotypes, and he bases them on the sleep patterns of mammals in the wild:
Bear: Most people (40%) fall into this category, characterized by sleep and wake preferences that align with the sun. Bears are most productive between 11 am and 6 pm.
Wolf: Wolves are classic night owls and account for 30% of the population. They may find it challenging to wake before noon and experience peak productivity at night.
Lion: Approximately 15% of the population are early risers, who are productive from dawn until noon. Lions often crave sleep by 9 or 10 pm.
Dolphin: This group, which makes up 15% of the population, has trouble following a sleep schedule and is more likely to have insomnia. Dolphins are sensitive to environmental factors such as noise and light and are most productive between 10 am and 2 pm.
Studies also suggest that night owls are more at risk for mental and physical health problems, like anxiety, depression, obesity, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. However, some experts say the reason for that isn't that they stay up late, but that they're merely not getting enough sleep, putting themselves at risk for poorer health. They may stay up late but still get up early for work, school, or whatever else society demands of them. Dr. Elise Facer-Childs, a sleep researcher, compares it to jet lag. A night owl may feel inclined to stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. but they have to get up and be in the office by 8 or 9 a.m.
That said, night owls aren't all bad. Additional research has shown that adolescents who fall into that category do better on intelligence tests, are more creative, and stay more alert during the day.
It actually seems that working against your chronotype is the biggest factor that puts you at risk for some of the health issues mentioned above. It's why shift workers or people who work irregular hours are more likely to experience obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
Dr. Facer-Childs claims the world would be better off if we stopped trying to make everyone fit into one box and allowed more flexibility in our rigid schedules.
I'll admit that I'm lucky that I can work anytime and anywhere I want, so I can indulge my body's inclinations. The only time you'll see me up early these days is when I'm sick or have a flight to catch. I feel bad for those who can't follow their own rhythms — I don't think our bodies were designed to sit in an office under fluorescent lights for eight or nine hours a day and call it life, but that's a story for another time.
So, what about you? What's your chronotype?
