Early Birds vs. Night Owls

They say, “the early bird gets the worm”, but inherently, not all of us are early birds, or people who perform best early in the morning. On the flip side, some of us are night owls, people who perform best later in the evening. But why do people get placed into these categories? Why do people typically lean one way or the other? Is it simply a habit that formed, or were we always in our classification?

Firstly, to understand these habits, you should know that these habits are better described as people’s circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are our internal schedules that cause us to act certain ways based on a 24-hour clock. Its primary function is driving our body to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Circadian rhythms have an origin in your genes, which means that your circadian rhythm was more or less passed down to you by your parents.

This means that many people are born either a night owl or an early bird. This may have a basis in evolution. Individuals may have evolved to have varying sleeping patterns so that people in a group could always have someone awake and on guard at all times. But although circadian rhythms are based in genetics, a person’s rhythm may vary over their lifetime. As a result of hormonal changes, young kids tend to be more of early birds, and teenagers tend to be more of night owls. When a person reaches adulthood, their inherent tendency is more visible.

But does this make early birds and night owls different people? Actually, these types do tend to have different personality traits and commonalities. Since the world we live in today is typically centered on a 9am to 5pm work schedule, early birds have an advantage. Night owls need to push themselves harder in order to adapt to this social norm. Night owls additionally tend to be more depressed, impulsive, creative, and prone to addiction. They also tend to be more likely to take risks and they stay alert for a longer length of time during the day. Night owls are also more likely to develop mood disorders and ADHD. Early birds have all of these traits in the opposite way. They tend to be more optimistic, have less anxiety, and are more satisfied about their life.

Since both sides of the spectrum have both their pros and cons, it is helpful to figure out which side you’re on. Knowing what time of day that you’re most productive can help you to use your time more efficiently. This information is also useful for dealing with a roommate or future spouse who may be of the opposite type. So when your roommate is way too cheery for their 8am class, or your spouse stays up late at night watching late night TV, make sure you respect them, because whether they’re a morning or a night bird, it’s in their genes.

Sources:

Asap Science Video

Web MD

National Institution of General Medical Sciences

CBS News

Live Science

7 thoughts on “Early Birds vs. Night Owls

  1. Kelsey Donehower

    I definitely related to this topic. Ever since I was a kid, I have always been an early bird. I used wake up at 6:30 and go to bed at 10 and repeat it all over again. Even on the weekends, no matter what time I go to sleep, I always wake up early. However, this has changed since I got to college. I go to bed extremely late and cannot wake up easily in the morning. It has been a hard transition for my body but hopefully it will get used to it. I enjoy being an early bird because I like getting the most out of everyday.

  2. Kelsey Donehower

    I definitely related to this topic. Ever since I was a kid, I have always been an early bird. I used wake up at 6:30 and go to bed at 10 and repeat it all over again. Even on the weekends, no matter what time I go to sleep, I always wake up early. However, this has changed since I got to college. I go to bed extremely late and cannot wake up easily in the morning. It has been a hard transition for my body but hopefully it will get used to it. I enjoy being an early bird because I like getting the most out of everyday.

  3. Elizabeth Sweitzer

    I enjoyed reading this because I am definitely and early bird. The funny thing is, you said it was in your genes, and everyone else in my family like my mom and sister are such night owls. This obviously causes problems because I am always up and ready and they are barely awake in the mornings. I can also relate to the productivity aspect. I have definitely found that I am much more productive in the morning than I am late at night because I don’t feel as much pressure to finish something in a certain period of time. Great post!

  4. Alexandra Carley Spanier

    When reading this article I related a lot to it. I am definitely a night person. I always have been, but my parents are two opposite people. My dad is a morning person while my mom hates waking up early and is a big night owl. It makes me wonder though,since you said teenagers are usually night people, if when I’m older I will be more of a morning person like my dad. Your article also made my wonder what effects going to sleep late has on ones body. According to the following website,http://www.businessinsider.com/is-staying-up-late-bad-for-you-2015-4, men who go to sleep later have a high risk of diabetes and women had high blood sugar levels, heavier weight, and increased risk of heart disease. Those things really scare me, but has the same conclusion as your blog, which is to try to be a morning person instead.

  5. Connor Ethan Ogden

    This was a very insightful topic that you just touched on. I have always felt that I do not function very well in the morning, and I’ve always preferred to do everything at night, including physical activity and schoolwork. I had always wondered if this was because of my schedule or because of my genetics and you just gave me insight into this answer. I now know that since I feel more comfortable and focused at night that it would be better to just work with it rather than adjust. I’ve always found it interesting how the human body can react and change due to the amount of light it is receiving. It almost reminds me of plants that grow directionally based on sunlight exposure.

  6. Bowen Wang

    Interesting topic. As we are all night owls since we are still busy enjoying the discovery of science. There was I time when I was in high school I tried to push me to be an “early bird”. I used to set up couple alarms to wake me up in early morning. While I not only did not become an early bird but became a really anti-alarm person. Most of time the everyone in our home were woke up by my alarm but myself. And when they slap my face asked me: “Do you know what time is it now?”, I was like What do you mean? (Yeah, sometime I do not even know it was the alarm woke them up).
    Anyway I figured out that I’m more productive at night though couple years trying. I should notice in the early time I am a more Night Owl person since that it is just so natural for me to work at night in a productive way compare to I have to put myself to work in the early morning especially most of time I still bothered by sleepless and tiredness. I do not know the science behind this till now I read your journal at 1 in the morning. All right, let me keep doing my Night Owls. And if anyone question about this I will show your posts.
    Good luck.

  7. Jessica Nicole Greenhut

    This was a cool post because most of the time I am definitely an early bird! It’s interesting that you say most people were born either a night owl or an early bird because my dad, my sister, and me are all early birds and we always have been since a very young age. I like hearing that early birds have the advantage in the world because that means I am initially one step ahead! Thanks for the great post and putting me in a good mood!

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