A change in habits provided favorable results. Which are? Can they be used on a daily basis?
Scientists from the United Kingdom and Australia carried out a study focused on “night owls”, those people who tend to stay up until dawn. The conclusions ensure that adjusting sleep habits can change the biological clock and improve well-being.
The first thing you should do is identify if you are an owl or a lark.
Morning people or larks usually get up early, but have a hard time staying awake at night, while evening people or owls are characterized by the opposite, they stay active until late at night and have a hard time fitting into the world that starts earlier. from 9 in the morning.
With this clear, what is better for health?
In the study, the team of scientists worked with several cases that they called “extreme owls” because they went to sleep around 2:30 in the morning. The next day, they couldn’t wake up before 10:00 a.m.
“Having a late sleep pattern puts you at odds with society’s standard days, which can lead to a variety of adverse outcomesfrom daytime sleepiness to poorer mental well-being,” said the co-author of the .
What instructions did they give you?
They are no different than those we have recommended in other articles:
- Wake up 2 to 3 hours earlier than usual and expose yourself to plenty of daylight in the morning.
- Have breakfast so early as possible.
- Exercise only in the mornings.
- Eat lunch at the same time every day and do not eat dinner after 7:00 pm
- Avoid caffeine after 3:00 p.m.
- Don’t take naps after 4:00 p.m.
- Go to sleep 2 to 3 hours earlier than usual and limit the entry of light at night.
- Keep the same bedtimes and get up.
After three weeks of applying these tips, the team of night owls successfully advanced their body clock by two hours, reducing depression and stress, as well as daytime sleepiness.
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“Our research findings highlight the ability of a simple non-pharmacological intervention to advance ‘night owls’ to reduce negative elements of mental health and sleepiness.”as well as manipulating peak performance times in the real world,” highlighted lead researcher Dr Elise Facer-Childs from the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University.
To synchronize with the sun’s path, the body must receive light, which is why it is advisable to expose the body to more light during the day and less at night. Although these tips may seem obvious, each one is key to helping even ‘night owls’ adapt to work/school/university schedules with which they are not in sync.
“By recognizing these differences and providing tools to improve outcomes, we can make great progress in a society that is under constant pressure to achieve optimal productivity and performance,” he said.