Are you a night owl? Me too.

Though I’ve spent the majority of my life fighting my nocturnal instincts, I’ve ALWAYS been a night person, even as a child. Day people, or larks, just don’t get it. It’s not that night owls *like* to stay up late… it’s just the most natural sleep rhythm for us.

Although I currently have an early morning job, I feel much more rested on the weekends when I can “sleep in”, and always seem to be at my mental peak well after “normal hours”.

Some people consider being a night owl a medical disorder (and I guess it could be, if it interferes with normal life activities). A few months ago, I was reading about “Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome”:

“Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or delayed sleep-phase type (DSPT), is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, core body temperature, hormonal and other daily rhythms relative to societal norms. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep well after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning.”

But, based on the number of people I know who are VERY productive during the wee hours of the morning and who have no actual “problems sleeping”, I’ve always wondered if maybe being a night owl was normal, at least for a certain percentage of the population.

So I was DELIGHTED to hear a recent interview with Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules on the excellent Brain Science Podcast. Here’s Dr. Medina, from the interview:

“20% [of people] are what we call ‘Late Chronotypes‘, or owls. These are people that don’t want to go to bed much before 3 o’clock in the morning, and don’t want to wake up much before noon. And they report that their best, most productive times, are in the evening and at night.

Now those sleep cycles, with the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian arousal system, are probably set near birth. You can certainly see them at five or six years of age.”

There’s much more in the actual podcast, so you should definitely listen to the full interview.

I plan to pick up Medina’s book ASAP, because he also discussed a lot of other good ways to help your brain “survive and thrive at work, home, and school”. For example, I think it’s very interesting that regular physical exercise plays an important role in cognitive function.

The Brain Science Podcast is great in general. The host, Dr. Ginger Campbell, covers many interesting topics about the brain, and does it in language that is easy to understand.

It’s a fun, educational show and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Link (to interview with John Medina, PhD via Brain Science Podcast)

Link (to The Brain Science Podcast)