Early Birds vs Night Owls - Explained

Early Birds vs Night Owls – Explained!

Your inclination to be either a morning person or an evening person is known as your chronotype. However, bedtime isn’t the only area in which early birds and night owls differ! Your chronotype can greatly impact your life, including personality, lifestyle and even your health. Now, whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, here’s what your sleep schedule has to say about you!

Number 1: Mood and Energy If you are night owl, you are more likely to hit the snooze button several times before you actually get up in the morning. And when you do, you are not particularly full of energy and excitement! You tend to feel most energized during the evening hours - usually after 6 pm. If you’re a morning person, you welcome the rising sun with a big smile on your face, and you don’t even need coffee to start your day! You remain productive until about mid-afternoon, when your energy starts to taper off.

Number 2: Health As an early bird, you tend to have a lower heart rate, half as much sleep apnea and lower body weight than your night owl peers. As a night owl, on the other hand, you often have lower levels of HDL cholesterol, have elevated stress levels, and you are more likely to snore and may suffer from sleeping disorders. You are usually more anxious and more susceptible to depression than early birds. You are also more likely to have ADHD, consume greater amounts of caffeine and alcohol, and experience higher rates of addiction.

Number 3: Lifestyle According to studies, if you’re a morning person, then you are more inclined than owls to stick to a plan and achieve it. You are less likely to experience fatigue, frustration, and difficulties. If you’re a night owl however, you are more likely to indulge in extravagance, impulsiveness, and novelty-seeking. But you also tend to be more intelligent and far more creative than early birds!

Number 4: Eating Habits If you are an early bird, you look forward to breakfast, and in general, you tend to follow a healthier diet than night owls. If you are a night owl, you prefer to eat dinner later than early risers. You are also more likely to eat fewer but larger meals during late hours – which makes you more prone to obesity!

Number 5: Creativity Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, you have your bursts of creativity during your “off hours” - meaning during your less preferred hours. Studies show that analytical problems are solved during optimal timings, while insightful problems that require creative thinking are better solved during non-optimal hours. This means that bursts of creativity are common occurrences during periods of mental fatigue!

Number 6: Decision Making If you are a night owl, you can be more spontaneous in your decision-making than morning people. You either do not think much before deciding what to do, or avoid making decisions altogether. If you are a morning person, then you might be more prone to deliberating!

Number 7: Preferred Media As a morning person, you seem to prefer getting your news through more traditional channels, for instance by watching TV or reading a newspaper. And if you are a night owl, you are more likely to watch and read news online. Scientists think that this is because you are ahead of others when it comes to using the newest technologies.

Number 8: Career Path If you are an early bird, you tend to lean toward a more conventional lifestyle. But, if you try to adapt to a present-oriented, risk-taking, late-night lifestyle, you may suffer from fatigue, exhaustion and difficulty keeping your thoughts together. If you are a night owl, you tend to gravitate more toward artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors. But, if you work in a corporate job where early meetings and future-orientation are the rule, your job performance may suffer. This can bring on low self-esteem and a general unhappiness with life.

Number 9: Networking As a night owl, you are more capable of building genuine social networks. This is because most fun events occur in the evenings, and morning people are typically too tired after hours to go out for dinner or drinks. This is important if you are in an industry where your networks greatly affect your chance of getting more business. Those who stay most up-to-date and connected with others in their industries are the ones who are most successful at work.

Number 10: Age Your optimal hours might depend on your age. Older people are more likely to be early birds, while younger people tend to enjoy late night bed times. Scientists found that this could be due to circadian clocks of skin cells and circadian genes. Elder people tend to go to bed early due to earlier peak expression in the body cells, thus they wake up early as well. Are you an early bird or a night owl? And what do YOU find to be the biggest pros and cons of your chronotype? Share your thoughts and comments below!