Night owl or early bird. Which is better?
Are you a night owl or an early bird? We’ve all heard the terms ‘burning the midnight oil’ and ‘the early bird catches the worm’. In an ideal situation, we hope that both are true because it means that being one or the other will still lead to productivity and is not unhealthy.Burning the midnight oil means that the night owl is awake for a reason, trying to finish something in order to meet a deadline. Therefore, we’re hoping that there’s a reason the night owl is up when everyone is asleep and that when that reason has been met, the person will go back to a normal sleeping pattern.We should remember that, unless the person is a security guard doing night duty or night shifts at a police station or hospital, such behaviour is not normal. In fact, most people, especially health professionals, would agree that not getting enough sleep for an extended length of time is dangerous for a person’s health.Early rising for an early bird is usually normal and considered healthy. If the person sleeps at a reasonable hour, and sleeps well, then rising at 5am sounds reasonable. Many people rise at the crack of dawn every day because they need to. They need to get to work on time if their work starts early. Now, all this sounds very healthy but it’s negated when the person was not able to sleep properly the night before because they were worried about something. When this continues indefinitely, it’s a horrible spiral.Notwithstanding this, the early bird can catch the worm if they make good use of the time they have. If not, then it’s just someone who couldn’t sleep last night and is, therefore, still awake.But that being said, if they’re no longer working and they still wake up at the crack of dawn after sleeping at the right hour, then this is very healthy and a good habit to maintain. The problem arises when those who have either lost their jobs, or think they have no purpose in life, sleep all day for no reason other than they can’t be bothered to get up. They think, what for?But by turning their normal circadian rhythm upside down, they are not only harming themselves but those around them.The chances are they miss all their daytime meals (lunch and breakfast) and, because they drink no water all day, they’re dehydrated. Moreover, the more they sleep, the more they feel the need to sleep.Oversleeping just for the sake of it doesn’t make you less tired; if anything it makes you more tired and more sluggish. On top of that, because you’re not eating or drinking, you have no desire to eat or drink. Oversleeping makes you lose your appetite because your stomach just feels full for no reason.Sleeping for the right number of hours might help you with weight control but this kind of sleeping is not normal and if you’re losing weight then it’s not for the right reasons.People who sleep at weird times and for longer than normal hours also have problems with brain function. Yes, sleeping for the right number of hours may boost your brain’s performance but studies have shown that those who sleep too much or too little have problems focusing. Their mind is fuzzy and it’s then that they make poor decisions.As well as all of this, remember that if you share a living space (no, let’s be more specific here), if you share a room with other people and you sleep at ungodly hours for no reason other than you wish to or can’t be bothered to become normal, then you are disrupting other people’s lives.Imagine sharing a room with a night owl. When you get up, they eventually go to bed. And what happens is that your bedroom is in pitch darkness during the day and you cannot access any of your belongings without ‘disturbing’ the night owl who probably doesn’t care that they’re making your living very difficult; it’s something they choose to do. But in contrast the early bird affects no one but himself. Which would you rather be?
Are you a night owl or an early bird? We’ve all heard the terms ‘burning the midnight oil’ and ‘the early bird catches the worm’. In an ideal situation, we hope that both are true because it means that being one or the other will still lead to productivity and is not unhealthy.Burning the midnight oil means that the night owl is awake for a reason, trying to finish something in order to meet a deadline. Therefore, we’re hoping that there’s a reason the night owl is up when everyone is asleep and that when that reason has been met, the person will go back to a normal sleeping pattern.We should remember that, unless the person is a security guard doing night duty or night shifts at a police station or hospital, such behaviour is not normal. In fact, most people, especially health professionals, would agree that not getting enough sleep for an extended length of time is dangerous for a person’s health.Early rising for an early bird is usually normal and considered healthy. If the person sleeps at a reasonable hour, and sleeps well, then rising at 5am sounds reasonable. Many people rise at the crack of dawn every day because they need to. They need to get to work on time if their work starts early. Now, all this sounds very healthy but it’s negated when the person was not able to sleep properly the night before because they were worried about something. When this continues indefinitely, it’s a horrible spiral.Notwithstanding this, the early bird can catch the worm if they make good use of the time they have. If not, then it’s just someone who couldn’t sleep last night and is, therefore, still awake.But that being said, if they’re no longer working and they still wake up at the crack of dawn after sleeping at the right hour, then this is very healthy and a good habit to maintain. The problem arises when those who have either lost their jobs, or think they have no purpose in life, sleep all day for no reason other than they can’t be bothered to get up. They think, what for?But by turning their normal circadian rhythm upside down, they are not only harming themselves but those around them.The chances are they miss all their daytime meals (lunch and breakfast) and, because they drink no water all day, they’re dehydrated. Moreover, the more they sleep, the more they feel the need to sleep.Oversleeping just for the sake of it doesn’t make you less tired; if anything it makes you more tired and more sluggish. On top of that, because you’re not eating or drinking, you have no desire to eat or drink. Oversleeping makes you lose your appetite because your stomach just feels full for no reason.Sleeping for the right number of hours might help you with weight control but this kind of sleeping is not normal and if you’re losing weight then it’s not for the right reasons.People who sleep at weird times and for longer than normal hours also have problems with brain function. Yes, sleeping for the right number of hours may boost your brain’s performance but studies have shown that those who sleep too much or too little have problems focusing. Their mind is fuzzy and it’s then that they make poor decisions.As well as all of this, remember that if you share a living space (no, let’s be more specific here), if you share a room with other people and you sleep at ungodly hours for no reason other than you wish to or can’t be bothered to become normal, then you are disrupting other people’s lives.Imagine sharing a room with a night owl. When you get up, they eventually go to bed. And what happens is that your bedroom is in pitch darkness during the day and you cannot access any of your belongings without ‘disturbing’ the night owl who probably doesn’t care that they’re making your living very difficult; it’s something they choose to do. But in contrast the early bird affects no one but himself. Which would you rather be?
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