Early birds and night owls, chances are you might have heard of these terms. When it comes to sleeping patterns, there are two kinds of people: one, who wake up to the chirping of the birds and withdraw towards the evening -- just like the ‘early birds’. And then those who sleep through the day and are at their productive best towards the later half of the day -- just like the owls, or other nocturnal animals. You might also fall into one of the two categories. But have you ever wondered which of these two sleeping patterns is better? What will help you more: being a night owl or an early bird? To get answers to these questions, Onlymyhealth spoke to Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus of Hospitals.
What Determines A Person’s Sleeping Pattern?
Before we look at the nuances of the two, let us first understand what is the reason behind the different sleeping patterns. The answer lies in an individual’s internal biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm. You can understand it this way that every person on this planet has an inbuilt alarm clock that dictates when a person sleeps, eats, and does other activities. In some individuals, this cycle is long, while in others, it’s short, a leading health website reported. Those who have a longer natural cycle are the night owls and those for shorter cycles are the early birds. It’s not that the cycle remains the same throughout a person’s lifetime and he/she can switch from being a night owl to an early bird and back to being a night owl.
Also read: Does Sleeping Over 6.5 Hours Per Day Cause Cognitive Decline? Study Finds Out
Characteristics Of An Early Bird & A Night Owl
Before we look at which is better: being a night owl or an early, let’s first go through the characteristics of the two:
Who Is An Early Bird?
As per another leading health website, an early bird is a person who:
- Wakes up early
- As a result, he/she sleeps early
- Is at his/her productive best in the day
- Gets less energetic towards the later part of the day
- Cannot stay awake after a certain time in the evening
Who Is A Night Owl?
Juxtaposed, night owls are those who:
- Stay till late
- Sleep through the day
- Are at their productive best during the later part of the day.
- Have a hard time concentrating if they wake up early
- Find it difficult to focus during the day.
Advantages Of Being An Early Bird vs A Night Owl
Now that we have understood what an early bird and a night owl is, let us look at their advantages one by one:
Advantages Of Being An Early Bird
According to Dr Bajaj, being an early riser comes with its share of benefits. Those who fall in this category:
- Have a positive outlook
- Have more energy throughout the day
- Have enough time for exercising
- Become more organised
- Eat healthily
- Are more productive
- Have healthier skin
In general, the “brain tends to be the most alert in the morning and we make better decisions and think more clearly in the morning, than at any other time of day,” Dr Bajaj said.
Advantages Of Being A Night Owl
(Photo Credit: Freepik)
Just like being an early riser, being a night owl has its own set of advantages, such as:
- You tend to be more creative and productive
- Better reasoning skills
- A burst of sudden energy towards the evening
Disadvantages Of Being An Early Bird vs A Night Owl
Just like there are advantages of being an early bird and a night owl, there are disadvantages too.
Drawbacks Of Being An Early Bird
- The disadvantages include:
- Those who fall into this category need to sleep more
- They do not have much energy for the later part of the day.
Drawbacks Of Being A Night Owl
If you are a night owl, then you:
- Are generally more depressed
- Are more prone to suffer from cardiac issues, irregular heartbeats, and cancer
- Have more erratic sleeping patterns
So as you saw sleeping patterns are decided by your body’s internal clock. There are benefits and drawbacks both of falling into either of the two categories. Also, you can switch from one sleeping pattern to another. What you need to do is to complete your requisite tasks during that part of the day when you are at your productive best.
(With inputs from Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus of Hospitals)
Photo Credit: Freepik