How to Turn From a Night Person Into a Lark (Maybe)
Sleep researchers say that about a third of us are night owls , a third are early risers, and the rest can go either way. Despite not having a clear majority, we let the early rise faction set the cultural agenda when it came to things like “what time is breakfast” and “what time do we need to be at work?” This leaves many frustrated night owls wondering, “Can I turn into an early-waking person, or am I doomed to suffer forever?” (Fatigue makes you prone to over-dramatization.)
Optimistic response: “Yes, you can change—if you work hard.” A more realistic answer is more like “Maybe; it’s Complicated.”
Know your chronotype
Our natural tendency to sleep at certain times of the night (or day) is called our chronotype, and it’s more than just a preference. According to sleep scientists, chronotypes are at least partly genetic , so changing your chronotype will not be easy.
“It’s like you have the diabetes gene, right? You can change that with your lifestyle, but it won’t change it,” Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, told CNN . “We can make you less night owls, but not completely, because the genetic propensity or predisposition is still there.”
While researchers are working to figure out how we can gain more direct control over our biological clock, the best thing we can do right now is to try to consciously change our behavior. Theoretically, experts say, it is possible to overcome our genetic predisposition to sleep patterns with the help of willpower, hard work and consistency.
Practical steps to turn yourself into a lark
Below are some proactive steps you can take to go from being a late-nighter to a sunrise person for some reason.
Drink in the morning light
Your main weapon in the fight against excessive sleep is not a loud alarm, but a light one; control the light and you control your sleep. “Morning light alters the oscillations of your circadian clock genes at both the cellular and molecular levels,” explains sleep researcher Zee. “You’re also training all your rhythms, whether it’s sleep, blood pressure, heart rate, or cortisol rhythm, to be early.”
To reset these fluctuations in the circadian clock, open your curtains or turn on a bright light as soon as you wake up. Sunlight is probably the best option, but if that’s not possible, something with shortwave blue light will do, so turn off the “night mode” feature on your phone when you wake up. Zee also recommends light therapy glasses and dawn simulation lamps to some people, although sunlight seems better (and cheaper).
Turn things off at night
The other side of a morning filled with light is an evening filled with darkness. To train yourself to get up earlier, get rid of the light earlier. This means you have to turn off the TV and cut back on your doom scrolling. Instead, try reading a book; I heard some people still do that.
Stay Consistent
Try to stick to the same sleep schedule even on weekends and weekends. This advice is what hedonists call “uninteresting” and yet a surefire recipe for skipping interesting cocktail parties.
Exercise early
There are a few lifestyle improvements that don’t include “exercise” as a component, and getting up early is no different. Some research shows that exercising in the morning can help you become more alert during the day and make it easier to fall asleep earlier at night.
eat right
Research shows a correlation between a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and sleep deprivation, so try to eat more lean proteins, high-fiber foods, and plants. (Caution: correlation is not causation, but eating healthier foods is a good idea, even if it doesn’t help you sleep better.)
have sex
Exercise, healthy eating, and reading books are great, but have you tried sex? Physical intimacy leads to the release of oxytocin and prolactin, and this “promotes bonding, bonding, and overall well-being, which can lead to better sleep,” according to Shannon Makekau, MD , chief of pulmonology and sleep medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu.
Don’t take drugs
I mean, go ahead and do drugs if you think you should, but don’t do drugs to change your sleep patterns. Behavior modification is more effective at regulating sleep than chemicals , according to CNN sleep experts . Taking melatonin doesn’t count here, as it’s more of a supplement than a sleep aid.
The smug tyranny of the early risers
On the other hand, maybe you shouldn’t try to be an early riser. Of course, you should try to get enough sleep , but there is no law that it is better to sleep from 23:00 to 7:00, and not from 3:00 to 11:00.
Studies show that people who stay up late at night have a higher IQ than early risers. They are more creative , get less tired during the day , experience less stress and dance better (I guess).
There doesn’t seem to be any generally accepted biological benefit of scheduling sleep based on early activity, so most of the arguments in favor of it boil down to “you have to do it because everyone else is doing it” or, even worse, detrimental. the idea that there is something morally preferable about waking up early. I’m not sure where it came from, but it’s all around us. Who hasn’t heard some self-satisfied jerk modestly showing off his morning yoga? It’s just your genes, mate; you don’t have to be so proud of yourself.
You know who can really fuck off? Benjamin Franklin. “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, rich and wise” is nonsense, Franklin, especially since you helped discover electricity and thereby created artificial lighting that keeps us awake at night.
Instead of trying to get night owls to fight their genetics in order to have a “socially approved” sleep pattern, maybe we should recognize that some people keep different hours and adjust social expectations instead. Let’s try some empathy. In the morning, people sometimes have to walk a mile in night shoes. Maybe I should write an article called “How to stay up all night and get enough sleep so as not to be so square?”