The Psychology Behind Being a Morning or Night Person by Elisabeth

The Psychology Behind Being a Morning or Night Person by Elisabeth - January 2019 Scholarship Essay

According to many sleep psychologists, whether you are a morning or night person depends on your DNA. The consumer genetics company, 23andMe, has found a whopping 15 genes that dictate if you are an early or late riser. This finding may be able to help us discern more information about the bodies natural clock, or our circadian rhythms. A circadian rhythm is, basically, all of our internal clocks telling us when to wake and when to sleep. But in reality, it’s more complicated. Circadian rhythms are changes that happen within your body during a 24-hour cycle. They are primarily affected by light and darkness but are also sensitive to other things in the environment and within the body. Circadian rhythms are always at work, even when you are most awake or most sleepy. In fact, the biggest dip in energy for adults happens just after lunch and in the very early morning. But sometimes you can’t always sleep according to what your body needs. An example of this is somebody who's circadian rhythm says they need to stay up late but can't wake up early working an early morning job. If they can’t get the sleep that they need, or if their cycle is irregular, they are at a greater risk for many health-related problems. These problems can include obesity, diabetes, depression, and bipolar disorder. My theory is that disturbances in the sleep-wake cycle are one of the primary causes for America being the most medicated and overweight it has ever been. And nobody is immune to this epidemic.
There are many websites online that can help you figure out if you are a morning or night person. I took a quiz online that tells you if you are a morning or night person. My result was moderately morning person. I believe that this is true because while I do struggle to get up in the mornings, once I am up, I am up. I get the most stuff done at this time, probably because it’s easier for me to focus earlier on. And it also helps that I take my ADHD meds in the morning. Sleep is a very important thing for people of all ages and should take back it’s spot on the list of things that we need to do.

citations:
“Are You a Morning or an Evening Person?” Cancer Cell Invasion | HHMI BioInteractive, HHMI, www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/are-you-morning-or-evening-person.
“Circadian Rhythms.” National Institute of General Medical Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx.
Lewis, Tanya. “This One Factor May Explain Why You're a Morning Person or a Night Owl.” ScienceAlert, ScienceAlert, www.sciencealert.com/this-one-factor-may-explain-why-you-re-a-morning-person-or-a-night-owl.
“What Is Circadian Rhythm?” National Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/what-circadian-rhythm.