Gaby
The world isn’t built for night owls. For most people, work and school start between 8 and 9 AM. If you work shifts or have young children, your day begins even earlier.
However, for about 30 percent of the population, early mornings pose a challenge. This is tied to our chronotypes—the natural tendency of our bodies to sleep and wake at certain times. Most of us think there are two main chronotypes: the night owls, who feel productive, creative, and alert late in the evening, and the morning larks, who can jump out of bed with the first rays of sunlight. In reality, there are also intermediate types that exhibit traits of both night owls and morning larks.
“Your internal clock doesn’t run exactly 24 hours. Most people are programmed for a bit more. So, to stick to a 24-hour schedule, this clock needs to be adjusted,” said Victoria Revell, a British sleep researcher and expert in circadian physiology at the University of Surrey.
This flexibility opens up an intriguing possibility for night owls. Can they really transform into morning larks or at least become a bit more like them?
“The key to chronotypes is genetic predisposition, but it’s not set in stone. There are a few hours of leeway,” said Edward Horst, a well-known sleep coach in London.
He says night owls face challenges beyond social jet lag. Research links this chronotype to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and depression.
Why Are Some People Programmed to Wake Up Earlier?
There’s no straightforward answer to this question. The explanation lies in genetics, evolutionary adaptations, environment, and behavior.
The genetic component boils down to the PER3 gene, which partially regulates circadian rhythms. The reason we express PER3 differently may be linked to the survival instincts of our ancestors, according to BBC Science Focus.
In 2017, researchers suggested that different chronotypes may have developed among groups of hunter-gatherers. That way, there was always someone keeping watch while others slept. (Unfortunately, modern office managers don’t seem to appreciate these night-owl advantages.)
“The pace of our circadian rhythms is set in a small area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN),” explained Professor Malcolm von Schantz, a sleep researcher at Northumbria University in the UK. He noted that the SCN coordinates circadian rhythms in humans and other mammals. It acts as the main mechanism controlling all the peripheral clocks in our bodies.
Von Schantz also emphasized that chronotypes typically change naturally over the years. “In adolescence, we increasingly become evening types,” Professor von Schantz shared. After the ages of 18 to 20, there’s a gradual and continuous, almost linear decline toward becoming more of a “morning person.”
So How Can You Reset Your Biological Clock and Become a Morning Lark?
Use Light Wisely
Professor von Schantz says light is the most important way to regulate our circadian rhythms. That includes natural daylight as well as the light emitted by device screens. As Victoria Revell pointed out, “if you have lights on in the evening, it effectively pushes your clock to a later time.”
“People who sit in front of their screens or turn on lamps late at night not only wake themselves up—they’re actually delaying their clocks, making it harder for them to fall asleep,” Ms. Revell explains. Professor von Schantz recommends turning off bright light sources by 11 PM.
For those trying to shift to an earlier sleep cycle, sleep specialists suggest enabling night mode on devices or, even better, keeping devices as far from the bed as possible until morning.
Prepare for Sleep Properly
When transitioning to a morning-lark rhythm, night owls should stick to a steady routine. That consistency makes it easier to fall asleep and improves the quality of nighttime rest.
Your bedroom should be dark, quiet, and comfortable. Ideally, set the temperature between 16° and 20°C (60–68°F).
“Let’s say you usually go to bed at 1 AM but want to fall asleep by 11:30 PM. This is entirely possible. Just remember, if you’re genetically predisposed to being a night owl, you’ll never be someone who happily goes to bed at 9 PM. But you can shift your clock by an hour or two over the course of three to four days,” Victoria Revell advised.
Monitor Your Diet and Caffeine Intake
Avoid caffeinated beverages late in the afternoon or evening if you want to fall asleep earlier. “Caffeine stays in your system for several hours. So if you had coffee at 5 PM, caffeine will still be in your body when you’re trying to sleep,” Ms. Revell warned.
To fall asleep earlier and feel refreshed in the morning, prioritize foods rich in tryptophan, such as milk, cereal, nuts, or turkey. Our bodies convert tryptophan into melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep.
Victoria Revell emphasized controlling meal timing. “Your metabolism changes over a 24-hour period, so how your body processes a cheese sandwich at midnight is completely different from how it does at noon,” she added. In other words: night owls, beware of late-night snacks!
