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If you are a night owl, who finds it difficult to fall asleep even past midnight, you must be jealous of the morning persons who wake up early. You may never seem to understand how some people can be so energetic and cheerful in the morning, while on the other hand, you are just drowsy and tired.
Being a night owl or a morning person is partly influenced by a phenomenon known as “chronotypes.” While it is not possible to completely change your chronotype, some strategies can be employed to make early mornings more of your thing. In this article, we will understand the science behind chronotypes, and provide you with some tips if you are looking forward to transitioning to a morning person.
Understanding Chronotypes: Why Not Everyone is a Morning Person?
Our internal body clock is responsible for regulating our sleep cycles, which work on a 24-hour basis. However, different sleep chronotypes emerge, as the timings of this cycle are different in different people.
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Morning people are the ones who tend to wake up early and usually show high productivity during the morning or noon. On the other side, night owls are the people who prefer waking up late and are most productive and alert during the evening and night. The chronotypes of most people fall somewhere in between these two.
It is important to note that none of the chronotypes is superior to the other, but since ancient times, society has favored daytime as a time of doing work and other important tasks. Because of this, night owls face the struggle of feeling sleepy and unproductive at a time when society expects them to be active.
Tips for Becoming an Early Morning Person
Being a night owl is not necessarily a bad thing, as your sleeping pattern depends quite a lot on your chronotype. However, as early morning hours are the inherently preferred time by society for school, work, and other stuff, being a late sleeper is something that forbids you from fitting into this routine.
Certain studies have also linked the habit of late sleeping with depression and stress. In order to avoid mental problems like this, and also the feeling of drowsiness in the morning, here are a few steps that you should follow consistently to transform yourself into a morning person.
1. Maintaining Good Sleep Hygiene
A good and comfortable bed is one of the main necessities of good sleep. Incorporate black-out curtains, bedside fans, soft and breathable bedding material, and clean surroundings to ensure a hygienic environment for your sleep.
2. Stay Consistent
While staying consistent with your sleep schedule might seem like the hardest thing, it is the topmost change that can actually help fix your night owl routine. Avoid sleeping till late on holidays and weekends, as it disrupts your sleep cycle. Set fixed sleeping hours, and try to adhere to it as much as possible.
3. Indulge in Sunshine
In order to become a morning person, exposure to bright daytime light plays a crucial role in shifting your chronotype. Develop the habit of going out on the lawn or the balcony for a good dose of vitamin D. Exercising or taking a walk are also found to be very beneficial.
4. Change the Mealtimes
The timings of your meals are also found to influence your sleep cycle. Align your meal timings with that of a morning person, like avoiding having dinner too close to bedtime. Have a significant gap between dinner time and the time at which you generally sleep to avoid any digestion problems that may disrupt your sleep.
5. Shifting Your Bedtime
It is obvious that a person who sleeps at 2 am generally, cannot sleep at 10 pm the next day. That’s why making gradual changes in the time at which you sleep is advised as it helps bring your routine closer to that of a morning person.
Thus, we saw the importance of being an early riser, as it aligns with the time of doing important work, as per the prevalent societal norms. Shifting the bed and meal timings, practicing sleep hygiene, and making use of bright daylight are some of the steps to take in the process of becoming a morning person.
