Being an early bird has been linked to a long-standing behavior. Early birds, or individuals who get up early and fall asleep early, are individuals who naturally go to sleep earlier within the evening and naturally get up early within the morning. For the early bird type, a 9pm bedtime could be the norm, and waking up at 5am without an alarm clock feels relatively easy.
Our internal clock controls greater than sleep patterns.
The early bird, or anti-night owl, isn’t normally something we predict is under our control. Some people appear to work hard to get to bed early, while others get a second wind and sleep late. This internal clock is named our circadian rhythm, each individual's unique internal timekeeper and master controller of many bodily functions. The most blatant is our sleep patterns; However, our internal clock plays a task in our appetite and eating patterns, hormone levels, and maybe even our mood.
Does being an early bird or an evening owl affect our health?
A growing body of research shows that we will probably want to pay more attention to our circadian rhythm, also often known as our chronotype. Determining whether we are early birds or night owls It may also help predict our risk of potential health problems.
Oh A recent study From Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports checked out whether the body clock was related to physical activity levels. Using a wrist-based device that measures movement, the activity levels of greater than 5,000 participants were collected for 2 weeks. The researchers also identified whether each individual was an early bird or an evening owl, based on a well-studied questionnaire. After controlling for aspects that would explain the differences, comparable to education or background health conditions, they found that being an evening owl was related to less physical activity. Night owls, in comparison with morning types, were 60 to 90 minutes less lively per day.
Why might your body clock and your activity level be linked?
In short, more research is required on this area to know needless to say. Most studies on this topic have a look at patterns; Trends appear to be emerging that specific body clock patterns and health conditions go hand in hand. What we don't know, though, is whether or not being an evening owl or an early bird is the explanation. But when trying to grasp why, there are numerous possible aspects that come into play.
For those that are more of an evening owl or “evening” type, it may possibly be tougher to include activity into the day. For many night owls, jobs or other demands on time can mean that the morning alarm goes off well before their natural wake-up time. As a result, the night owl type is starting the day relatively “jet lagged” – waking up out of sync with their body when the body prefers to sleep. They may lose sleep in the event that they should get up much sooner than they need to. These can contribute to low activity frequently.
On days off, catching up on sleep can develop into a priority attributable to little sleep in the course of the week. Sleep patterns, comparable to how much or when individuals are sleeping, are prone to be key here, but this information was not captured on this study. Other health conditions or behaviors that interfere with sleep, comparable to mood disorders, are more common amongst night owls.
What can I do if I'm an evening owl?
We should emphasize that this study doesn’t tell us that being an evening owl causes less physical activity. (This is true for much of the research surrounding our body clock, as mentioned earlier.) It just shows the connection between being an early bird or night owl and certain conditions. In addition, the aspects at play—sleep patterns and activity—are aspects over which we’ve some control. While we may fit hard to lean toward being an evening owl or a morning bird, most individuals fall somewhere in the center. Sleep patterns and activity are modifiable, and even small changes can have a big effect over days, weeks, months, and years.
One solution to reap the benefits of one of the best times of the day for more activity is to contemplate your sleep patterns. Are you somebody who feels ready and alert very first thing within the morning? This could be the best time to take these steps. More energy within the evening? Then it is perhaps best to schedule a walk after dinner. Using your body clock to your advantage may also help optimize one of the best time to be lively.