I am a night owl. Anyone who knows me is well aware of this fact.
My husband, an early bird-type whose brain doesn’t function well
past 9 p.m., but is annoyingly chipper around the time the sun rises,
has learned the hard way not to try to engage me in any meaningful conversation
before 9 a.m.
It’s a key reason we’re still married after nearly 34 years.
Still, I’ve endured a lot of grief for my night owl ways, and I understand
that even though I’m not alone, much of the world considers people
like me deficient.
Benjamin Franklin, who famously wrote, “Early to bed and early to
rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”— even though,
by some accounts, he didn’t always follow his own advice —
wasn’t the only one to promote the idea that early risers are more
virtuous, industrious and successful.
Indeed, this notion has prevailed throughout much of recorded history.
Going to bed and getting up early means you are just, well, better.
Nonetheless, I remain unashamed and unrepentant. My internal clock seems
as natural to me as my curly hair and my tendency to overthink just about
everything — including what my
sleep patterns really mean.
So I did a little research.
The first thing I learned is that, as I have long suspected, there is ample
evidence to support the idea that our circadian rhythms are genetically
based. We are pre-programmed to favor certain waking and sleeping styles,
whether night owl, early bird or something in between.
In short, we are born that way.
But what I really wanted to know is whether the early bird lifestyle really
is superior. And it is in looking at this question that things get a bit murkier.
There is some evidence that early risers are healthier and live longer.
Some studies have found that night owls exhibit higher rates of depression,
high blood pressure, poor diets and substance abuse. There’s also
reason to believe that they do, in fact, procrastinate more.
On the other hand, some research findings indicate that night owls are
wealthier and, ahem, a wee bit smarter than early birds.
One rather peculiar study about a decade ago involving the San Francisco
Giants found that night owl baseball players competing in night games
outperformed early birds who played in day games.
I’m not sure how that helps long-suffering Angel fans, but I’ll
think about that later.
Much of the research on sleep patterns, however, remains inconclusive;
there’s still much for us learn. One big question in the whole early
bird-vs.-night owl debate is whether the perceived negative effects of
being a night owl are intrinsic, or if they are largely a result of having
to live in a world that isn’t built for them.
Put another way, are night owls lazy wastrels destined to fritter away
their abbreviated lives of debauchery? Or is it more accurate to think
of them as square pegs trying to fit into the round hole of a society
and economy structured around early starts?
If the latter is true, then night owls might be seen as somewhat akin to
left-handed people, who are also known to have a built-in deficit compared
to the dominant, right-handed population.
“I’d say there is a big social environmental element,” said
Dr. Jay Puangco, chief of service for Sleep Medicine at the
Hoag Voltmer Sleep Center.
“Someone who’s a night owl who still has to get up early —
that’s not healthy.”
Whatever one’s tendency, the main focus should be on quantity, quality
and consistency of sleep, Puangco said.
And on all three factors, our workaholic, tech-obsessed society often falls short.
Sleep deprivation is increasingly recognized as a major health issue.
“It’s almost a badge of honor if you don’t sleep, like
you’re working harder,” he said. “But if you get enough
sleep you enter the day with more clarity. You actually work smarter.”
Puangco said that of the three pillars of good health — diet, exercise
and sleep — he chose to devote his career as a neurologist to sleep
because “it impacts everything,” including cognition and the
cardiac and immune systems.
“Nothing can substitute for sleep.”
He is encouraged that
sleep issues are starting to receive more attention. For instance, he said, a few years
ago, the huge and influential Consumer Electronics Show began featuring
a section on sleep.
Big-name athletes, recognizing the importance of sleep to optimizing performance,
have hired “sleep coaches.” Some people have started tracking
their sleep on their smart watches.
“Everyone is recognizing that sleep gives them the edge,” he
said. “It’s kind of a secret weapon.”
So what does this mean for the night owls of the world?
Some health care specialists, noting the growing awareness of distinct
biological rhythms, argue that this is one more reason why we should move
toward more-flexible work environments. And, in an effort to conform to
teenage sleep patterns, many schools are adjusting to later start times.
But I remain skeptical. Minor changes aside, I am resigned to the reality
that my vampirish sleeping proclivities won’t be widely embraced
anytime soon.
I will never be the one to catch the proverbial worm, but I can live with
that. I’ll settle for a midnight snack and a good book while the
rest of you are dreaming.