Early riser or night owl: who is healthier? #102

The science of sleep

Happy Sunday!

Are you the natural riser who gets out of bed full of life at 6 a.m., or the one who is still happily awake at 1 a.m. doing some house chores?

It turns out that this is not your choice. It is down to genetics, and there is an evolutionary reason for it.

I want your opinion on the newsletter. I am planning the next stage of the newsletter and I would appreciate your input 👇🏼

Back to sleeping patters:

We all have a 24-hour circadian rhythm clock inside us. However, when we feel most awake, it’s down to our chronotype.

For some people, the peak of energy comes in the morning and sleepiness at night. They are happy to wake up early and find it easy to function well. These people make up about 40% of humans.

30% of humans are more of a night owl, preferring to go to bed late and sleep in the late hours of the morning. The other 30% are in the middle, with a slight preference for the evening. I am in this category; however, marrying an early riser has pushed me to be in the 6am camp.

But why?

You know our bodies don’t do anything by chance. Humans evolved to sleep in families and tribes, not in couples. Having different members of the tribe awake at varying hours of the night ensured that we stayed safe as other people slept. Nothing happens by chance in your body. If you are a night owl, it could well be that your ancestors were the ones patrolling at night.

But what is “healthier”?

Unfortunately, night owls tend to have higher risks of all diseases. This seems to be down to how society works. Night owls are forced to wake up early for school or work, not getting enough sleep. This appears to have started with the Industrial Revolution when we prioritised productivity and economic efficiency over individual sleep patterns. We might have food readily available, but not rest. Without sleep, our bodies don’t recover and, as a result, start malfunctioning.

People who are night owls and have the luxury of sleeping until later in the morning should give in and stop trying to be part of the 5 a.m. club. I don’t understand when we developed the concept that night owls are lazy.

Technically, being an early riser is healthier, but this is only because we force night owls to get up early, leaving them without sleep.

See you next Sunday,

Francesca

Francesca is a Nutritional Therapist with years of experience managing PCOS symptoms. If you are interested in one-to-one consultations, you can book a free discovery call here.