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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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.
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.
I feel I cannot be just 1 type of person. Sometimes I’m night owl and sometimes i go to bed by 10 pm.
Is it necessary to taht you fall within one of those categories?
I feel I cannot be just 1 type of person. Sometimes I’m night owl and sometimes i go to bed by 10 pm.
Is it necessary to taht you fall within one of those categories?
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Hmm I feel like a lot of answers here are conflating early bird/night owl with simply what time you wake up and go to sleep. That’s not really what the concept is about if I understand it correctly, it has way more to do with what time of day you feel most energized and productive regardless of your exact sleeping times.
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I’m both… Don’t really enjoy sleeping since I like life so much. I don’t mind going up early (4-7), even had jobs where I had to go up at 1am. I function the same with staying up late, still being productive.
Hmm I feel like a lot of answers here are conflating early bird/night owl with simply what time you wake up and go to sleep. That’s not really what the concept is about if I understand it correctly, it has way more to do with what time of day you feel most energized and productive regardless of your exact sleeping times.
I’m both… Don’t really enjoy sleeping since I like life so much. I don’t mind going up early (4-7), even had jobs where I had to go up at 1am. I function the same with staying up late, still being productive.
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