Its been my opinion for a long time that some people are genetically predisposed to a nocturnal lifestyle. In my own mind this made sense from an evolutionary perspective- humans in general are more likely to survive if some of them are operating at night. Hunting night animals -or keeping watch against night animals- could be invaluable or even a necessity for some early man. Travelling when its cool and sleeping when its warm would be far more energy efficient in certain climates and conditions. It makes sense that a mutation to prefer nighttime activity would be enough benefit to carry on through the generations. And then we invented agriculture, civilization and industry. Prior to the invention and proliferation of the lightbulb, these were all heavily dependent not only on activities that require working in the sunlight, but also on everyone (or almost everyone) being awake at the same time to best coordinate productivity. After all there's only so much work that can be done by the light of a bonfire... For as long as I've been alive, society has been largely run on the old idiom 'early bird gets the worm' and a general sense that morning people are the best people because they are the most productive people and the happiest people. And they are, now. Productivity was and is still largely dependent on people being able to work together in a well-lit environment. Or until very recently. In the context of evolution, and even in the context of sociology, we have had the ability to simulate daylight at night for almost no time at all, relative to the time we have spent without that ability. Its prolly been around 50 years now I would guess that we've been able to sufficiently illuminate enough of our nighttime environment that we could in theory be as productive at night as we are the day, and far more recent that productivity is less dependent on everyone all being awake at the same time. More and more studies are revealing how much of our nature is genetically inherited. And it appears sleep cycles are as well, including traits that make some humans happier, healthier and more productive being awake at night. Morning or night person? It depends on many more genes than we thought - Saxena Lab (harvard.edu) The study suggests (with the caveat 'more research is needed', of course) that some of the medical conditions increasingly afflicting our society today could be a result of people who are genetically predisposed to nocturnalism having to adapt to being awake when their biology is telling them they should be asleep. I'm sure morning people who have had to adjust to a night shift job can relate to how that feels... less energy, less contentment, more stress, potentially even weight gain, diabetes and schizophrenia, according to the study. And I would wager (though I don't think its in the study), violence, depression and substance abuse. Perhaps one way we could make the world a little better is to work toward a more 24-hour-friendly world. I mean I know that already exists to some extent, but I think not quite to the extent it needs to. Requiring everyone to schedule their day from sunup to sundown used to make perfect sense. But it doesnt anymore. We beat that with technology, and now we should reap the rewards. And yes, full disclosure, I ****ing hate getting up early. On the rare occasion that I'm able, I fall into my most comfortable sleep cycle going to bed at sun-up and waking after it starts to go down. I miss my old night shift job ...but it just didn't pay the bills. Night jobs rarely do...
Interesting subject. I’ve never looked into how much of one’s preferences for night vs mornings is genetic or environmental. I’m a night owl and my parents were. So I have potentially had genetic and/or environmental influences. My dad was a night owl that was an early riser as well. For whatever reason I don’t like getting up early. I’ve never associated dislike of getting up early with laziness I guess. I think that’s just a part of the Prussian model that requires conformity to supply drones to make industrialized societies of the past tick. Nine to five doing things people dislike isn’t a model that promotes happiness or fulfillment. It’s sad we accept it pretty much without question as a society. I couldn’t do it. I prefer 16-18 hours (and “on call” 24 hours) doing what I enjoy on my schedule to 8 hours of drudgery on someone else’s schedule.
My body's clock through the years has tended to get "set" based on job / School requirements. When I was younger, I could sleep til 12 or 10. Now at 60, that ain't possible. Even if I find myself going to bed at 1 or 2 in the morning. My inner clock gets me up at 5am. AND I enjoy mornings and I'm highly productive, enjoying all the menial tasks that are such a chore in the afternoon. If I sleep til 8am I felt like I've wasted half my day. I love watching the sun come up....
Amongst folks i know, it seems to be a badge of honor for people who get up early. Good for them. But i'm not one of them. For the last two years i've found the perfect concoction to help me get an amazing sleep every night. i know this won't last long, as you sleep less and less as you age - so for now, i'm enjoying the sleep of the dead.
Good ideas. We already press something other than a 9-5 work requirement. There are health ramifications that should become understood and cared for.
I have always assumed I am a night owl by nature because I was born in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, not a lot of night shift jobs that pay worth a damn in these parts so I suffer through trad hours. If I am off a week at a time, by day 3 or 4 I am back to staying up til dawn and sleeping in the morning hours.
I hate getting up in the morning. So much so my teachers in school thought I was on drugs-lol Unfortunately, I hate getting my nights and days mixed up. The surf always seems to be better in the morning. Some days I would stay up all night and surf in the morning and come home and sleep. I have no idea why I feel so sick in the morning. Maybe, I have narcolepsy. Most mornings I wake up and throw up It takes several hours to wake up in the morning.
Maybe you’re pregnant? Jokey-jokes of course. I used to sleep in pretty regularly when I was younger. The army broke me of that and I’ve been up at 4am every day like clockwork since. Works for me. I prefer working out in the morning before work as opposed to after.
