Night Owl Genetics: Proof that We're Not Just Lazy

There is a hard-wired switch in my brain; one that says , "Do not go to bed until at least 11 pm and do not wake up before 7 am". This voice has been there and guiding my behavior for as long as I can remember. If pressed, I can get up at 4 am, 5:30 am, or some other such ridiculous hour, but my body doesn't like it - even if I do get 8 hours of sleep the night before.

We've all known about Circadian Rhythms for a long time, but genetic research is building upon the basic concept of a preprogrammed body clock. Brain Based Biz has posted a wonderful article on recent research in this area. In fact, if you follow the article, you Night Owls will be happy to see (and most likely share with the rest of the world) that it is not something you can control - and, most surprisingly, trying to go against your body's natural clock can actually be detrimental to your health.

That's just what I've been trying to tell my husband for years as he jumps out of bed while it's still dark while I bury my head under the covers yelling about "turning off that damn light!".

Comments

Kip, thanks for the link to my article. I had to laugh at your last line because it reminded me the I love all the covers and my hubby doesn't care because he's got much warmer blood than me. Funny how we're so different.
Unknown said…
That is funny! My husband always thinks that I "steal" the covers. But since I fall asleep later, I know the truth. About 30 minutes into sleeping, he gets warm and throws the covers off of himself. Naturally I take advantage and wrap myself in them!

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