Chronotypes: early birds vs night owls

Not everyone is a morning person, and not everyone can stay up past midnight. How hard-wired are our internal schedules?

It’s long been suspected there was an evolutionary advantage to humans falling asleep and waking up at different times.

Norman and Tegan unpack what are called chronotypes, and whether you can shift yours to better fit your lifestyle.

References:

• Early bird trait might run in families - the Health Report
• Genetic Basis of Chronotype in Humans: Insights From Three Landmark GWAS
• A Length Polymorphism in the Circadian Clock Gene Per3 is Linked to Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and Extreme Diurnal Preference
• Chronotype variation drives night-time sentinel-like behaviour in hunter–gatherers | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Mindful larks and lonely owls: The relationship between chronotype, mental health, sleep quality, and social support in young adults
• A systematic review of circadian function, chronotype and chronotherapy in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders
• How to Become a Morning Person - Sleep Foundation
• Resetting the late timing of ‘night owls’ has a positive impact on mental health and performance
• Chronotype changes with age; seven-year follow-up from the Netherlands study of depression and anxiety cohort
• From early birds to night owls: a longitudinal study of actigraphy-assessed sleep trajectories during the transition from pre- to early adolescence
• The morality of larks and owls: unethical behavior depends on chronotype as well as time of day

Check out our other sleep episodes!

• What is the perfect nap duration?
• Rapid-fire round: Answering your sleep questions
• Can you train yourself to sleep less?
• Is melatonin the answer to a good night's sleep?