Night Owls and Early Risers – What is your Chronotype?
Where an individual falls on the spectrum of day or night preference, is largely determined by their “chronotype” or “sleep phenotype”. This term describes an individual and their disposition regarding the timing of daily routines. It explains their timing preference and their potential for mental alertness within different times of the day. That early lawn mower sparked up at sunrise may make some of us cringe, yet for the early riser this urge to mow the lawn is motivating and invigorating. Much like the early morning jogger who is beaming with focus and energy at 6am, many of us are still in deep slumber or playing hit the snooze button (a daily ritual).
The Night Owl detests mornings and the chirpy “Rise and Shine” does nothing to hasten their awakening.
There is a third preference which falls within the middle of both the early riser and the night owl chronotype. Named the “Intermediate” preference., this person is flexible and can have mental alertness where needed and necessary.
Studies show that night owl and early riser tendencies are most likely driven by biological and genetic forces.
Recent research has discovered that there is a physical difference in the brains of different chronotypes. Researchers at Germany’s Aachen University investigated the brains of early birds, night owls, & “intermediate” chronotypes. What they pinpointed was a number of structural differences in the brains of people with varying sleep-wake tendencies. A group of fifty-nine men & women in different chronotypes were observed within this study. Sixteen were self professed early birds, twenty were between the two chronotypes, & twenty-three were night owls. Researchers found when comparing the early birds & intermediates, night owls appeared to have a decreased integrity of white matter. This was apparent in multiple areas of brain. White matter is the fatty tissue found in the brain. It gives us the ability to communicate effectively between nerve cells. Reduced integrity of the brain’s white matter has been linked to depression in many cases and to disruptions in normal cognitive function.
The reason for this difference in the quality of white matter among night owls compared to those falling in between the spectrum isn’t fully clear. People that are placed against late nights & sleeping late are often at odds with the societal schedule in their life., especially work & school schedules that require early morning starts. They experience fatigue & daytime insomnia, difficulty concentrating, physical pain & discomfort., much like that of travel-induced jet lag.