Despite the fact that there are people with an incredible facility for, with the first hours of the morning, having already had breakfast, done chores at home and organized the day’s schedule, the normal thing, which happens to most of the people, is that it costs us a sublime effort to get out of bed at sunrise and be productive at such recent hours of the day. You may even feel and notice that you feel more focused at night. Why is this happening?
A study carried out by the Research Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, examined 130 participants who had to stay awake for 24 hours in order to verify your energy level in this time frame. The conclusions of the study determined that there are people who can remain throughout the day with a low level of energy (identified as ‘lethargic’) and others who are able to remain active all day despite sleep deprivation and regardless of the schedule to which they had risen (identified as ‘energetic’).
For those who are lethargic, getting up early is a bad option, since taking into account that their energy increases as the day goes by with an interesting productivity in the afternoon and evening, waking up with the first light of the sun can only lead to the time invested not be entirely effective. This is because the circadian rhythm of the ‘lethargic’ is not well synchronized with the natural cycle of light and dark.
Early risers (energetic) have their highest peak of activity of the day at noon – precisely when the sunlight is most intense.
People in the evening (lethargic) have their highest peak of activity towards the night as they are not synchronized with this light cycle.
A study by the National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo (Japan) found the key in genetics. Thus, the PER-3 gene , one of the genes of our biological clock, is key to marking the propensity to wake up sooner or later, as well as our energy level throughout the day.
Having knowledge of our chronotype and adjusting it to the natural circadian rhythm will facilitate a better work rhythm and, of course, a better state of mind and health.
