Being a night owl can be tough due to societal expectations and negative attitudes toward those who prefer to sleep later in the morning. However, night owls can alter their sleep patterns if they choose, and the same goes for anyone who tends to stay up late and feels tired or unproductive during the day. It's important to note that not all night owls want to change their sleep schedule. Despite what some media sources may claim, there is no substantial evidence to support the notion that being a night owl has negative health consequences.
According to Rafael Pelayo, a sleep specialist at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, it is common for people to have genetic tendencies towards being a morning person or a night owl, but these tendencies do not determine a person's sleep patterns. In other words, it is possible for someone with a genetic tendency towards being a night owl to become a morning person and vice versa.
Night Owl and Early Bird: A Chronotype
To be a night owl does not necessarily mean that a person is lazy. A person's preference for being a night owl or a morning person, also known as their chronotype, is largely determined by genetics and is the point at which half of a night's sleep is typically completed. Half is yet to come, assuming the person can sleep when their body wants to.
In other words, a person's chronotype determines when they are naturally inclined to feel more awake and alert. There is a significant range in chronotypes among adults, with some naturally inclined to be night owls and others naturally inclined to be morning people.
These preferences tend to change as a person ages, with men, on average, having later chronotypes than women before the age of 40 and the tendency reversing later in life. When children reach puberty, their body clocks and chronotypes shift to be later, making it difficult for them to fall asleep at the same times as adults and lead to sleep deprivation in many high school students and younger children.
Being a night owl isn’t entirely a choice, but you can change your sleep-wake cycle — if you wish to.
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Importance of Sleep Cycle
It has been suggested that being a night owl is a risk factor for poor health and those night owls are more prone to conditions such as diabetes, depression, and heart attacks, as well as an increased risk of premature death. However, research suggests that these risks are large because night owls often cannot get enough sleep due to the demands of their daytime lives.
Kristen Knutson, an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, notes that the problem arises when night owls try to live in a world that operates on a morning person schedule. Lack of sleep can have negative health effects on anyone, regardless of their chronotype, and the recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7-8 hours, while children and teenagers generally need more.
There are several signs that you may not get enough sleep or that the quality of your sleep is insufficient. These include feeling tired during the day, irritability, and difficulty focusing. A prolonged lack of sufficient sleep can increase the risk of various chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, depression, and heart disease. Research has shown that sleeping less than 6 hours per night on average significantly increases the risk of these health problems and early death, and the risk becomes even more acute for those who sleep fewer than 5 hours per night.
Shifting Sleep-Wake Cycle
If you have difficulty getting enough quality sleep and feel tired during the day, it is possible and advisable to try to shift your sleep cycle. While there is no one-size-fits-all bedtime, research has shown that falling asleep between 10 and 11 p.m. is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Instead of choosing a bedtime first, Rafael Pelayo, a sleep specialist, recommends deciding the best time to wake up and making that a firm goal. Then, based on the amount of time you need to fall asleep and the amount of sleep you need, you can determine a bedtime by working backward.
It is important to try to stick to the same bedtime every night and to avoid hitting the snooze button when your alarm goes off. In a study, 22-night owls who typically went to bed around 2:30 a.m. and woke up after 10 a.m. were able to shift their sleep cycle by two hours by following a specific protocol. They also reported feeling less stressed and having fewer symptoms of depression.
It is important to consult a doctor before taking sleeping pills, as they can have side effects and may not be effective. If you are a night owl and you sleep well, feel energetic during the day, and do not experience conflicts with your sleep-wake cycle, continuing your current sleep patterns is fine. It is not necessary to make changes based on the preferences of morning people.
RELATED ARTICLE: Night Owls Could Be Twice As Likely to Underperform At Work: Learn How to Become a Morning Person
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