When it comes to sleep, there are two kinds of people: early birds and night owls. Early birds, also known as morning larks, wake up early in the morning when the day is young and fade fast in the evening hours. On the contrary, night owls wake up late in the morning and stay up late in the evening. Night owls also find later evening hours to be the period when they are most productive.

So, which one are you? Can your sleeping pattern affect your health? Continue reading to find out.

The Characteristics of an Early Bird

In general, you are an early bird if you:

• wake up early
• go to bed early
• feel energized at the beginning of the day
• lose energy in the early evening hours
• find it hard to stay awake past a certain hour

Thanks to these characteristics, early birds tend to fit more easily into society and its standard daytime schedules, such as school, university, and work. In other words, they don’t face any difficulties when it comes to functioning at the workplace or school during the day.

According to research, morning larks also report higher levels of positive feelings and emotions. This can be easily connected to the fact that people experience happiness and other positive emotions when their sleep allows them to meet society's norms.

On the other hand, what could be considered a disadvantage is the fact that early birds find it hard to stay awake after 8 or 9 p.m. which might be challenging for pursuing and keeping relationships and other social connections.

The Characteristics of a Night Owl

Moving on to the second type of people, you are a night owl if you:

• wake up late
• enjoy sleeping in
• feel tired if you wake up early
• can’t stay alert during the day
• stay up late
• feat at your best later in the day
• feel energized at night

The above-listed characteristics definitely bring some disadvantages to being a night owl mainly because society is structured around a daytime schedule. For instance, typical working hours are from 9 to 5. Similarly, schools and colleges have classes during the day.

As a result, night owls may find it challenging to adjust to standard working hours or a fixed school schedule. One study even showed that late risers may face other downsides as well such as an increased risk of metabolic issues or mental health conditions.

However, some may find being a night owl pretty advantageous. For example, most creatives like writers, artists, painters, and other creative professionals find nighttime to be the best time for working as everyone is sleeping and they get the peace and quiet needed.

Why are Some Night Owls and Others Early Birds?

So, what makes someone a night owl or early bird? Researchers suggest that genetics and circadian rhythms play important roles in determining your sleep chronotype. And, they also found evidence that women are more likely to be early birds and found a potential link between morningness and conscientiousness. Plus, the study showed that people who are highly motivated and ambitious are more active earlier in the day.

Finally, another study found a link between physical activity and sleep chronotype. Precisely speaking, researchers found that early birds tend to be more physically active compared to night owls. Similarly, male night owls were more likely to follow a sedentary lifestyle. Yet, they didn’t come to any specific conclusions regarding whether your chronotype is affected by physical activity levels, or vice versa.