Why are we either night owls or early birds and is change possible?
Ever since as far back as I can remember I’ve been a night owl – far more focussed, energetic and motivated during the late evenings.
This was back when I had a forced routine of going to bed ‘early’ to wake up for school.
Even in adult life where I’ve both had a choice or been forced into a routine of waking up at early hours due to a job I’ve found that hasn’t changed. I function better at night, no matter what routine I get into.
Is there a reason for this and is change possible? Are there also ‘Mid day people’?
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Being a night owl or early bird is tied to our circadian rhythms. Those who have a shorter cycle are early risers, longer cycles are night owls. Sometimes this can be changed, but it’s possible there are genetic aspects that make this harder. I’m a night owl who never has gotten used to waking up early; even with good sleep hygiene it just never works for me. There are also people on the 24-hour cycle, which leads to more of a ‘balance’ for lack of a better term.
I do wonder if there’s an evolutionary component as well; if you have a variety of sleep cycles, that leads to more people being awake at different times of the day, and thus more people to watch for predators, gather resources, etc. But I can’t speak on that part for certain.
I just want to say that I am currently wearing a t-shirt my friend made for me that says ‘I’m not a night owl, I’m not an early bird, I am a constantly exhausted pigeon.’
We have an approximate number of waking hours that we can function well. You tend to shift that to be early or late but you can’t be sharp and clear from 5am to 11pm every day.
It is possible to change. I was a night owl for most of my life but it was my “me time” that kept me up – usually gaming far too long. I decided to start my game time at 5:30am so it would have a time limit (when I had to leave for work) and because I was sorta excited to game I went to bed at 9:30 to get 8hrs of sleep. It actually worked great and I now wake up automatically at 5:30am.
I’ve also changed my habits a bit in other ways and my career is way more successful. I still have “me time” in the morning and often that’s still gaming.
We’re not tho. If you’re up after midnight or later every night, you could call yourself a night owl. If you wake up at 5-6am every morning, you could call yourself an early bird.
I would say if you went to bed around 9-10pm and woke up around 6:30-7:30, you’re not a night owl or an early bird. The typical average work shift is 9-5. Average people wake up around 7am. Then they get home by 6ish and are in bed before midnight. I wouldn’t call them an early bird or a night owl.
Staying up extremely late is GENERALLY a learned behavior and it takes time to manipulate a normal sleep pattern to be an overnight one. Is it genetic at some level? Of course all traits are but for other people it is more environmental and needs to be learned and so people with normal sleep schedules can change theirs over time but it usually takes a while and people can’t typically or easily (without behavioral/ emotional consequences) switch from night owls to early birding.
Sometimes, it is normal for people to have late sleeping schedules, say they have a sleep schedule where they get naturally tired at 7pm and then 11pm. If a person with those natural sleep times stays up past those times it may be extremely difficult for them to sleep after those periods because those are the times the body’s chemical mixture is just right for the brain to fall asleep and it can be very hard to sleep and easier to stay awake one you “pass” or stay up later than your natural cycle.
We have an approximate number of waking hours that we can function well. You tend to shift that to be early or late but you can’t be sharp and clear from 5am to 11pm every day.
It is possible to change. I was a night owl for most of my life but it was my “me time” that kept me up – usually gaming far too long. I decided to start my game time at 5:30am so it would have a time limit (when I had to leave for work) and because I was sorta excited to game I went to bed at 9:30 to get 8hrs of sleep. It actually worked great and I now wake up automatically at 5:30am.
I’ve also changed my habits a bit in other ways and my career is way more successful. I still have “me time” in the morning and often that’s still gaming.
I don’t think you *are* one or the other, I think it is just a result of your daily routine that might enforce it.
I’ve been a night owl most of my life, or at least I thought so. I was energetic and active in the evening, however, when getting up, I didn’t have a lot of energy and still felt tired. During the day, my energy levels rose, making me active during the afternoon and evening.
However, then I changed jobs and needed to get up early. The first weeks/months were terrible as I wasn’t used to get into bed early. After a while, it became natural to wake up early and feeling energetic in the morning. However, I was also less energetic in the afternoon and tired in the evening, resulting in an early bed time.
During my, life, I switched from time to time between *Night Owl* and *Early Bird* for longer periods and I suspect it is just a matter of habbits. Not getting quite enough sleep is just enforcing that habbit.
Being a night owl or early bird is tied to our circadian rhythms. Those who have a shorter cycle are early risers, longer cycles are night owls. Sometimes this can be changed, but it’s possible there are genetic aspects that make this harder. I’m a night owl who never has gotten used to waking up early; even with good sleep hygiene it just never works for me. There are also people on the 24-hour cycle, which leads to more of a ‘balance’ for lack of a better term.
I do wonder if there’s an evolutionary component as well; if you have a variety of sleep cycles, that leads to more people being awake at different times of the day, and thus more people to watch for predators, gather resources, etc. But I can’t speak on that part for certain.
I just want to say that I am currently wearing a t-shirt my friend made for me that says ‘I’m not a night owl, I’m not an early bird, I am a constantly exhausted pigeon.’
We’re not tho. If you’re up after midnight or later every night, you could call yourself a night owl. If you wake up at 5-6am every morning, you could call yourself an early bird.
I would say if you went to bed around 9-10pm and woke up around 6:30-7:30, you’re not a night owl or an early bird. The typical average work shift is 9-5. Average people wake up around 7am. Then they get home by 6ish and are in bed before midnight. I wouldn’t call them an early bird or a night owl.
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