Saturday, March 3, 2012

Night and Day

This is something I have always wondered about as at times in my life I have had to be a morning person and at others an evening person and though I thought at one time I was a night owl now that I have a choice in the matter I am an early riser.
Researchers did MRI studies on morning people vs. night owls and found early risers brains were most excitable at 9 a.m.,with night owls brains being most excitable at 9p.m. The researchers also found that night people became physically stronger throughout the day while the strength of morning people stayed the same. Another study claimed that evening people may have higher IQs and that being a night owl is an evolutionary preference. The same study claimed your sleep preferences to be at least 50% genetic and that your chronotype changes with age,that generally the eveningness peaks in the late teens and early 20's.
Night owls tend to be less reliable more emotionally unstable,and more likely to have problems with addictions and eating disorders. Early risers tend to be more conscientious,persistent,and more apt to cooperate.
The body likes cycles,and circadian rhythms are a strong force,however with discipline and motivation they can be modified and shifted...which explains to me how people with changing shifts have to train their bodies to accept that as normal.

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