Do you love staying up at night and sleeping late in the morning? Or are you an “early to bed and early to rise” type?
Most people identify either as a night owl or a lark, sometimes known as an early bird. But have you ever wondered why? Or if one way is better than the other?
Read on to discover why sleeping patterns are so different from person to person, and how to make subtle shifts if you need to.
Our natural sleep disposition is mainly down to genetics
There can be a societal tendency to applaud the early risers of the world, lauding them for being hard workers and go-getters. Conversely, the night owls who like to sleep late can be seen as lazy or undisciplined.
However, the nature of the way we sleep has very little to do with discipline and lies mainly in the way we’re inherently wired.
Your sleep preferences are defined by “chronotypes”, your body’s natural inclination for when to sleep and wake. In turn, chronotypes are driven by your circadian rhythms, your body’s internal biological clock.
According to the Sleep Foundation, there is emerging evidence that our chronotypes are determined by genetics. Some theories suggest that evolution plays a part, as during our hunter-gatherer days tribes would always need someone to stay awake and keep watch.
According to a YouGov study:
- Brits are predominantly night owls (44%) rather than early birds (33%)
- Around half (48%) go to sleep between 10 pm and 11 pm
- About 12% go to bed at 9.30 pm or earlier
- 1 am or later is the bedtime for 11% of Brits.
Night owls can struggle to align their natural sleep pattern with daytime productivity
If you’re a night owl, there’s a good chance you’ve tried to shift your sleeping pattern. The contemporary world doesn’t require you to keep guard, and – broadly speaking – jobs and education take place during the day.
Night owls, therefore, can often struggle with sleep deprivation, trying to get up earlier than their rhythm demands. This can lead to “social jetlag”, a feeling of fatigue and poor productivity.
A recent BBC report resonates with the YouGov findings, showing that 40-50% of the population favour an early bedtime and getting up after 8.20 am. The research, which explored brain connectivity at different times of the day, found that night owls were impaired throughout the day, in comparison to larks.
This could potentially lead to lower productivity and increased health risks associated with lack of sleep, including high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
Although you can’t change your natural chronotype, you can introduce gentle shifts which can gradually become habits over time:
- Go to bed earlier by 15-30 minutes over the course of a week, and adjust your wake-up time accordingly.
- Get as much natural light as soon as you can in the morning.
- Create a calming evening routine, with dimmed lights and reduced screen time, to alert your body that it’s almost bedtime.
Be aware that you’re likely to default back to your preference if you don’t keep these up, but they can help you to prepare for certain events, for example.
If you’re retired, sleeping and waking later may be less detrimental, as long as you’re getting high-quality rest of around seven to nine hours.
However, appointments, opening hours, and travel plans may dictate that you need to get up earlier on occasion. So, you may find it beneficial to shift your patterns slightly to better match the outside world.
Larks can miss out on evening events and social activities
Early birds tend to fare better throughout the day as their natural sleep and wake patterns tally with the standard norms of working patterns and business opening hours.
On the flip side, they can struggle with social events held in the evening, when their natural propensity would be for an early night.
If you’re still working, then jobs which require shift work can sometimes be trickier for the lark-minded. Equally, careers which require collaboration across time zones, for example, can be difficult for the early bird who prefers a more structured daytime routine.
While there are many positives associated with being an early bird, there may be occasions you’d prefer to stay up a little later. You can prepare for these by:
- Gradually shifting your bedtime by around 15 minutes a night
- Spending time out in the natural evening light (in summer, at least) to signal to your body that it’s not yet bedtime.
For the most part, however, early birds tend to have a beneficial sleep structure and routine that works well with daily life.
Get in touch
There is nothing inherently wrong with being either a night owl or an early bird, but you can make some gradual shifts if you feel you need to.
However, we firmly believe no one should ever wake up with money worries on their mind, whatever time it is.
If you’d like to speak to us about any aspect of financial planning, please get in touch by emailing hello@fingerprintfp.co.uk or calling 03452 100 100.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.