The very moment we read the heading, a question strikes our brain and the question is “who is better”. Person who believes in early to bed and early to rise will say early birds are healthy and wise. On the other hand, a person who completes all his work at night will favor night owls. So why not study the both cases and then jump to a conclusion. Do read the entire article to know the result. But before discussing the two cases we will discuss the chronotype.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHRONOTYPE
Chronotype basically tells about the timings of an individual. At what time the person is active and when does the person takes rest. Factors that are responsible in shaping the chronotype of an individual are:
- Genetic Factors: Our sleep preference is usually determined by our genes. In earlier times people used to have different sleeping patterns. Some slept during night while others protected the group and vice versa. This practice helped them to safeguard their group from predators and other threats. So, if your ancestor was an night owl then chances of you being an night owl are high. Same is the case with early birds.
- Biological factors: The white matter in the brain which is responsible in neurons communication, also determines the chronotype of an individual. Night owls exhibit less white matter in comparison to early birds. Therefore, there are few pathways for feel good hormones like dopamine to travel through.
- Lifestyle: Another factor that shapes our chronotype is lifestyle. Those people who have a luxurious lifestyle and do very less work tend fall in the category of night owls. However, individuals who work hard throughout the day and live a hard life are early birds.
- Mood: To some extent mood also affects our sleep. A person who is upset is more likely to stay up at night. On the contrary, a cheerful person will have a sound sleep and will rise early in the morning.
Since we have discussed the chronotype and have a good knowledge about it. Thus we should now move forward to our two cases: early birds and night owls.
EARLY BIRDS
Early birds are also known as larks and are morning people. Usually early birds are old people and it is a fact that larks prefer tea. Another fact about early birds is that they die around 11am. For early birds there’s a saying that “early bird gets the worm”, but then everything comes with both advantages and disadvantages.
Benefits Of Being An Early Bird
- Early birds are more determined and goal oriented.
- Early birds wake up with a great smile and energy.
- Early birds are proactive and studies have shown that early birds score better than night owls.
- Early birds are more prepared and are good at handling pressure.
- Since early birds start early, therefore they finish early and are really punctual.
- Early birds fits in the norms of society.
Disadvantages Of Being An Early Bird
- Early birds are energetic when they wake up but tend to lose the energy faster.
- Early birds are less creative as compared to night owls.
NIGHT OWLS
Usually young people fall under this category. Night owls usually die before 6 pm. For night owls there is no such saying like it was for larks but one must remember that owls also catch the rodents and insects at night. Let’s see some merits and demerits of being an night owl.
Benefits Of Being A Night Owl
- Night owls may not wake up with energy but after few hours of working they posses a great energy.
- Night owls do not lose their energy fast.
- Night owls are more creative as they have better cortisol levels.
- They are risk takers and create opportunities for themselves.
Disadvantages Of Being A Night Owl
- Since we live in a society of larks thus night owls face chronic jet lag. All the activities happen between 9am to 5pm, thus it becomes difficult for night owls to cope up.
- Night owls may not get proper sleep.
- They do not have a proper diet and usually suffer from high blood pressure.
- Night owls are more likely to be addicted to alcohol and nicotine.
- Night owls are more prone to depression and anxiety.
CONCLUSION
After discussing both the cases we reach to a conclusion that both early birds and night owls have their own advantages and disadvantages. Both type of sleepers are equally good. But we live in a lark’s society thus early bird have an upper hand.