Must we all have the same sleep cycle?

As I write to you, it is 9:45 pm in the UK. I was warned that if I fell asleep too early, I would wake up in the middle of the night. Obviously ignoring the warning, here I am. Not strange though, is the stream of different ideas rushing through my brain. This was not the original topic for this week, but I could not help but wonder as I paced through the semi-warm lounging area of my flat after looking for a cold drink to soothe my throat. Deep down, I believe I am nocturnal and function to the maximum of my ability at night-time.

It is not really about the time of day that should be in focus here, but the atmosphere I believe, is igniting the spark that is my imagination. Most of all, my willingness to sit down and get some work done is always at its peak during this time. Something about the thought that everyone else is sleeping puts me at peace, increases my focus and makes want to be more productive. In comparison, during the daytime I am lazy and easily distracted, which eventually leads to frustration and abandoning whatever plans I had set for the day.

I have been thinking I have ADHD. Not officially diagnosed. Even contemplated on taking those focus pills. An idea that was met with fierce resistance from my partner. I have already thought of turning my daily cycle on its head. Working through the night and sleeping through the daytime. However, as someone who has to deal with other people on a daily basis, it is almost impossible to do this. I run the risk of been woken up by a phone call from "normal" people with their "normal" daily routine of waking up during the day, working, and going to bed at night. Everyone else I work with has this “normal” routine and the course of life seems to follow it too.

This has left me wondering, is there a place for people like us? I have been trying to fit into this "normal" schedule, but it has been as frustrating as ever as days go by and I haven’t checked off most of the things in my to do list. While reading the book "Why we sleep" by Matthew walker, I came across an interesting concept. One that made me feel slightly better about myself. I’ll paraphrase it to the best of my ability.

Some people are night owls; some people can just wake up in the morning and do what they need to do for the day. Society is unfavourable to night-owls

It’s been a while since I read that book but that is the gist of what he was trying to get at. While writing this post I also did some research which I had never done before (for some reason). Apparently, this is quite a popular topic. Some claim that it is a sleeping disorder, offering solutions on how to fix it. Naturally. Others claim Night owls are smarter, more creative and at a disadvantage, due to the "normal" daily routine which favours the other chronotype, Morning Larks.

According to an article by livescience, being forced to stick to the "normal" routine can affect a Night owl’s attention, reaction time and overall alertness during the day. Another article sheds light on the health side of things. Being a Night-owl negatively affect your sleep pattern and quality as you try to stick to the “normal” routine. This can lead to a shorter lifespan, obesity, depression, and a host of other negative things. Years of going to school and working a "normal" job has forced me to adapt to said "normal" routine. And while I am not obese, I do suffer from depression. I wrote about this in my story on gratitude. (Click on the link to read after this)

This brings me to my question; must we all have the same sleep cycle? Do we have to change our chronotype in order to fit into the world? Some suggest adhering to a strict sleep cycle to be able to live with this. But I can argue, since I live it, that unless we are placed on some kind of medication, this fix only benefits those we are staying up for. It does not help a night-owl to be "the best version of themselves". I propose rather that society learn to accommodate us even though I know that is a big ask. We have always functioned on a "normal" routine and cycle for generations with not enough voices seeking this change. Night owls have always conformed.

I am slightly lucky with the fact that I am self-employed, hence I can choose when to work, with some limitations of course. Due to my work also involving others, there is still that time constraint. And, to get things done, like make important phone calls and important social interactions, I have to be awake at a "reasonable" time. Most night-owls do not have this opportunity and are tied to the "normal" routine and above-mentioned disadvantages. Unless they are willing to make a career-change that accommodates their chronotype.

However, I want to learn to work with my chronotype rather than against it so that I can function to the best of my ability. That is why tonight, I am going to start working on a plan that helps me get 8hrs of sleep as recommended, while also working at peak performance. I might share this plan if requested. Granted, there has to be some compromises to ensure that I am still part of society. This might also mean I make a career change to one that accommodates my chronotype. If you are a fellow night owl, I recommend you try to do so too.

If society will not change for us, then maybe the changes we make can influence society indirectly.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Click here to send me your thoughts. I promise to do my best to reply and we can have a conversation about it.

Articles I used for research:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/having-this-gene-may-make-some-people-night-owls/

https://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/more/articles/night-owls-and-morning-larks-need-different-schedules

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/per.2258

https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/sleep/2019/are-people-really-morning-larks-or-night-owls-101419

https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/oct/so-youre-a-night-owl-is-that-bad/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201005/why-night-owls-are-more-intelligent-morning-larks

https://www.livescience.com/64779-night-owls-brain-connectivity.html