Is it hard to change the habit of staying up late? It may be the genes that are causing trouble!

As the saying goes, "the early bird catches the worm, the late bird eats the shit." It has to be said that going to bed early and getting up early is indeed a good habit, which is beneficial to health, work, study and life. However, some people are not lucky enough to enjoy it.

Because the circadian rhythms of individuals are different, even completely different. Some are "early to bed, early to rise" and are compared to larks. Some are "late to bed, late to rise" and are called owls, or simply, night owls.

Whether you are a "lark" or an "owl" is related to specific physiology, behavior, and genetic expression.

However, scientists have found that genes play a role of 40% to 50%, while sleep habits only account for 22% to 25%. Genetic factors have a great influence on circadian rhythm preferences. In other words, going to bed early and getting up early is related to habits, but genes ultimately prevail.

For night owls, waking up early can actually ruin their day. The melatonin levels of larks start to rise around 6pm, so they feel sleepy at 9pm to 10pm. The melatonin levels of owls start to be released at 10pm to 11pm, or even later, which means they may not feel sleepy until the early hours of the morning. If you get up early, the melatonin in your brain will not be fully degraded in time, so you will feel groggy and unable to recover for a long time.

However, compared to the agricultural era of waking up at sunrise and sleeping at sunset, the development of electricity and technology has become a new influencing factor. Light at night, especially the blue light from electronic devices, will inhibit the synthesis and secretion of melatonin and delay sleep time. So no matter which type you are, if you want to go to bed early at night, it will definitely help to look at your phone less.

However, some things can be avoided, while others are unavoidable. There was once a controlled trial on the physical functions of people with different circadian rhythm preferences. Although the sample size is limited and may affect the universality, you may as well listen to it together.

For the "lark" type, the muscle strength is strongest around 1 p.m., and the excitability of the brain's motor cortex is strongest at 9 a.m., which is much higher than that of the "owl" type in the same time period. These indicators will gradually weaken over time and be weakest at night. On the contrary, the "owl" type has the weakest muscle strength at 9 a.m., but gradually increases over time, and is significantly stronger at 5 p.m. than at 9 a.m., and reaches its strongest at 9 p.m.

At the same time, the excitability of the motor cortex of the night owls' brains also increases, reaching a peak at 9 p.m. Moreover, the fluctuations in muscle strength and excitability of the nervous system of "owls" are more obvious at different times. As night falls, by 9 p.m., the muscle strength and excitability of the motor cortex of "night owls" are much higher than those of "larks". Therefore, getting excited at night, having a lot of inspiration, and soaring efficiency are really not excuses for night owls.

If you don't believe in evil, you must fight against fate. Rong Ge has to remind you that forcibly breaking the circadian rhythm has health risks. Studies have shown that "owl" type people are more likely to suffer from depression, obesity, diabetes and other health problems because they do not match the early bedtime and early rise rhythm required by society. For example, the circadian rhythm will also affect the body's metabolic rhythm. The secretion of insulin in the morning of "owl" type people will also be delayed, and they will not be able to prepare for the digestion of breakfast. In the long run, they may even have some symptoms of prediabetes.

The best solution is of course a personalized work and study schedule, but it is not yet possible. For office workers and students, looking at mobile phones less at night, reducing caffeine intake, and sleeping at a cool temperature may help a little. After all, people's continuous adaptation to the environment is eternal.