What you want is to maximize your sleep patterns. To synchronize and adjust your body’s internal snooze button for peak performance, for the upcoming day ahead. This way, you can look and feel completely refreshed and full of energy at will.
Is it even possible to alter your habitual sleep patterns for whatever reason. This could be for a new job, adjusting to a change in weather, or if you’re going on vacation and wanting to adapt to a new timezone.
You may be wondering if it’s even possible, to make these tweaks to your body’s biorhythm.
There are some, who are clearly early bird risers up at the crack of dawn, who may also suffer from frequently getting up during the night.
Others, the night owls among us, function better staying up into the wee hours of the night, burning the midnight oil.
To Manage Sleep
So you wonder if there are ways to adjust your own body clock, for peak performance.
Especially if you have irregular hours such as a new parent, as you are forced to sleep whenever you can during the day or night.
What you’re most likely already familiar with, are the different types of sleep patterns you experience on a nightly basis.
What you’re wanting is to become as efficient and alert as possible, by adjusting and altering the way you sleep.
Know Your Performance Patterns
For those who happens to be early risers, they’re generally regarded to be more eager and energetic. They are motivated to attack their “to-do list” with full vigour at the crack of dawn.
Night owls on the other hand, those who find themselves to be more productive later at the opposite end of the day, will usually find themselves in comatose mode before noon.
Their brains however, becomes razor sharp later on in the day when it gets dark as the evening rolls around.
Know What Type You Are
Determine the type of sleep pattern you prefer. Also understand the cognitive effects they have, for you to function the best during the day.
Cognitive functioning, refers to the specific area of the brain which can judge and assign the ability to think as clearly as possible, when it comes to solving problems.
This ability is heavily influenced, by how your body clock is set and behaves.
There is also increasing evidence, that links your internal body clock to fluctuations in your mood, your fitness level, and even your personality.
When Are You The Most Awake
Those who are morning people, are generally known to be more introverted. They may also be more driven and conscientious, more so than their night owl counterparts.
Those who are most productive at night, are a lot more impulsive as well as more outgoing.
It’s been proven, night owls will generally score higher on intelligence tests, but are more likely to become moody and even depressed.
Upon waking, those who like to rise early, have higher levels of the hormone cortisol in their system.
Because of how cortisol reacts, explains why morning people are usually more upbeat and chipper, as that’s how this chemical works.
The night owls heart rate, is usually higher during the afternoon, and continues into the later hours of the evening, rather than in the morning.
This is the reason why they appear a lot sharper mentally and physically, once the day progresses.
The most revealing fact, may be what their peak body temperatures are at, for those who are early risers or night owls.
The link when it comes to sleep and body temperature, is how quickly the mind is able to react.
For those who like to get up early, their core temperature will usually peak at around 3:00 to 3:30 PM in the afternoon.
The night owl’s core body temperature peaks at around 7:30 to 8:00 PM at night.
Setting Your Body Clock
So what are the factors, on how you can properly set your own body clock. The determinants aren’t generally entirely genetic, nor are they completely environmental.
What researchers have been able to pinpoint are several genes, which indicates the various circadian types in the individuals, which are partially heritable.
When You Were Born
The imprinting process directly after birth, can also be a factor. There are studies which show infants who are born in the later months of the year, the autumn and winter months, usually tend to be early risers.
Conversely, those who happens to be born during the spring and summer months, will more often than not, grow up and enjoy staying up later into the night.
Biologists who are experts in chronology, firmly believe the amount of exposure to sunlight an individual gets earlier in life, may potentially affect their biological clock their entire life.
The hot and bright summer days, which also provides longer daylight hours, can potentially set the clock of an individual to extend a few hours later. What this can lead to, is becoming a night person.
The shorter autumn and winter months, where the days turn into darkness sooner with limited sunshine or poor weather, favours the early risers.
The Aging Effect
Another factor in the “get up early” or “stay up late” debate, may be age related. The majority of teens along with young adults, will tend to stay up as late as possible.
Who doesn’t remember those dares when we were younger, of staying up late and partying the entire night.
What the majority of experts agree upon, is there’s a combined mixture of hormonal changes along with cultural factors that are involved.
This can include uncontrollable work schedules, where most individuals will steadily move towards the “get up early” behaviour as they begin to age. This is once their life responsibilities begin to compound.
So the suggestion for the best possible way to adjust to your internal body clock and get the best sleep, for best functionality, is to not fight it, but rather adjust to it.