In such a gray time of the year, it is especially difficult to force yourself to leave a warm bed in the morning, and when this needs to be done very early – efforts are doubled. But what if a late awakening does not allow you to cope with all the troubles during the day?
Differences between "larks" and "owls"
A study conducted in 2008 at the University of Texas in the USA indicates that students who get up earlier do better than those who like to sleep.
In the same year, a professor from the University of Heidelberg in Germany found out the fact that people who wake up early, that is, between 5 and 6 in the morning, are much more enterprising than those who get up late. At the same time, various studies indicate that "owls" are distinguished by creative inclinations and high intellectual abilities, and optimism and conscientiousness – lot of "larks".
Moreover, early risers have better problem-solving abilities and often find good jobs. This trend is confirmed by the words of many successful senior managers who admit that they always get up early. For example, General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey have to wake up at 5:30. An hour earlier, at 4:30, Apple CEO Tim Cook and PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi start waking up. The morning of Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao starts at 6:00. And this is not a complete list of successful people who cannot afford to sleep until lunch.
Personal experience: Georges Berges and Denis Breuer
George Burges decided to test on his own experience how it is possible for an "owl" to turn into a "lark". Unfortunately, the attempt of the 22-year-old head of the Gojimo company was not successful. George is used to staying up late between midnight and 2:00.
The guy decided that if he moved his bedtime 2-4 hours earlier it would help him wake up at 6:00 instead of after 8 as usual. At the beginning of the experiment, everything went well. After George flew from London to California, the difference in time zones helped him wake up earlier and go to bed at 10:00 pm.
At first, every day the guy easily got out of bed at 6:00, went to the shower, drank coffee and started doing things. George noted that he liked starting work at such a time, because in such an early morning there are much fewer factors that can distract from work.
George Burges lasted exactly 5 weeks, after which time he gave up the idea of becoming a "lark". This was due to the difficulty of waking up after activities that ended late, and also due to the lack of important things to do in the morning.
Chicago resident Denis Breyer has always been an owl. The man could work only at night, which caused him a lot of inconvenience. At some point, Denis decided to completely change the mode and learn how to properly distribute his time in order to finally get enough sleep.
His experiment, unlike what Burges had done, was a success. Of course, at first, Denis faced various difficulties, but he found the strength to overcome himself. Now he goes to bed at exactly 22:00, while turning off the TV in advance and putting the phone away so as not to be distracted by anything.
Breyer needs 30 minutes to fall asleep. If during this time it is not possible to fall asleep – Denis is reading something, it helps him fall asleep faster. Breuer has been following this regimen for half a year now and is very pleased, because the productivity of his work has increased significantly.
Sometimes there is a temptation to watch TV longer, but Denis does not allow himself this, because now he manages to do everything he has planned during the day. In the evening, a man can finally devote more time to his children.
Advice from experts on transforming into a "lark"
Specialists note that getting up early – this is only half the battle, the hardest thing for "owls" will be to accustom themselves to go to bed earlier.
First, you should forget about coffee after 2:00 pm and refrain from physical activity at least four hours before bedtime. As for nutrition, you need to have a hearty lunch, but do not overeat during dinner and breakfast. These are tips from Dr. Kenny Pang, a Singaporean otolaryngologist who specializes in sleep disorders. He also notes that the bedroom should be dark, and the TV and smartphone turned off at least an hour before bedtime.
Dr. Watson claims that modern technology can cause insomnia. The light emission in the blue part of the spectrum of TVs and tablets is a powerful stimulant for the nervous system, which can affect the body as a signal to wake up.
Scientists note that it is quite possible to accustom yourself to go to bed earlier, but not everyone can succeed. Many people suffer from sleep disorders and find it difficult to readjust without medical help. Falling asleep is possible only if the body clearly knows that the period of sleep has come.
Because of this, becoming a "lark" is possible only if you manage to go to bed early and get up early every day, while exception days are not allowed. Therefore, even on weekends, you need to stubbornly adhere to the schedule, not allowing yourself to soak up in bed longer. Dr. Watson calls such disruptions the social jet lag syndrome. Therefore, if you go to bed late on Sunday, but at the same time wake up early on Monday, you can forget about normal performance.
For all the listed advantages that "larks" have, Dr. Pang does not recommend changing the sleep schedule too drastically. According to the expert, each person has the best sleep between 23:00 and 7:00. The specialist believes that an obligatory component of good health is an 8-hour sleep, while getting up neither light nor dawn – not necessary. The doctor notes that waking up at 5 am sooner or later will force you to fill up during the day or on weekends.
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