What kind of people are called larks? Who has an easier life? Mixed types of daily activity

We are often in Everyday life We use concepts such as “night owl” or “lark” in order to explain the dependence of our fatigue or, conversely, performance, on the time of day. Of course, this does not mean birds, but human chronotypes.

A person's chronological type, or chronotype, is determined by peaks of activity nervous system depending on the time of day. The life of any living organism on Earth obeys certain rhythms. The peak is inevitably followed by a decline, during which the energy needed for the next peak accumulates. The study of chronotypes began in the 70s of the twentieth century, and at first it was received rather skeptically. However, during the observations it turned out that this has not only scientific, but also practical significance, since the coincidence or mismatch of working hours with the peaks and valleys of a person’s activity determines the quality of his activity, which on a global scale affects both the economy and other spheres of social life.

Determining a person's chronotype: who are you, a night owl or a lark?

The chronological type of a person is determined by the peaks and valleys of his performance. Thus, larks are those people whose peak occurs in the morning and extends throughout the first half of the day. With the onset of twilight, such people experience a decline, and until midnight they usually sleep soundly, only to wake up again the next day with the sunrise.

Night owls are the type of people whose peak activity occurs after lunch and continues into the evening. evening time. Owl people wake up much later than sunrise, usually around 10-11 am, or even by noon. Before lunch, their performance is low, and by 15 o'clock it begins to gain momentum, reaching its peak after sunset. For owls, midnight is a “children’s” time, and when the larks snore sweetly, owls are quite capable of finishing important work.

Sometimes a third type of people is also identified; they are called arrhythmics. Arrhythmics are those whose performance does not depend on the time of day, who are equally productive both in the morning and in the evening. Many people think that this is perfect option However, observations show that such people more often suffer from neuroses and depression. Doctors explain this by the absence of the necessary declines, when the body should rest and gain strength.

According to Western experts, currently owls make up about 45% of people, larks - 25%, and about 30% of people either consider themselves arrhythmics or are undecided.

Imaginary owls?

Chronobiologists, scientists who study time rhythms in living beings, have established for certain that it is larks who live by a natural biological rhythm. All life on Earth obeys the solar rhythm, and humans are no exception. For a long historical period, and what’s more, almost all of its history, man was directly dependent on the sun. People simply could not afford to get up late, because one way or another all the main activities took place during daylight hours. He who gets up early and works hard goes to bed early too, and exceptions only confirm general rule. Currently, people living in a tribal way of life in remote corners of civilization spend their entire lives in the rhythm of a lark, focusing on the world around them.

However, owls are by no means fictional, as statistics claim, they represent the majority of residents of Western civilization. The owl chronotype arose with the advent of electricity. Of course, night revelers existed before, but then they were just idle people, a small stratum of, as they would now say, majors. As human activities developed that were independent of sunlight, the number of owls increased.

Changing chronotype

Does this mean that a person's chronotype can change? Undoubtedly. Small child usually a morning person, because that’s how his parents organize his life. When a person has free choice, he can change his sleep and wakefulness patterns - often this happens after leaving school. Finally, a person discovers liberties free life, and one of the attributes of the freedom gained from parents is precisely the schedule shifted to the “owl” side. When small children appear, life becomes a lark again, then, if the need for getting up early disappears, the person returns to the comfortable lifestyle of a night owl, and in old age most people like to wake up early, returning to the lark. Thus, a person’s chronotype is not something determined once and for all, and if circumstances require it, it can always be rearranged.

The world of owls is made for larks

Surprisingly, despite the fact that the vast majority of people of active, working age are owls, the way of life public life designed specifically for early risers. Government agencies, kindergartens, schools, shops, clinics - everything works in the rhythm of a lark, but bad luck, owls also work there. Many experts, not without reason, believe that this is one of the reasons that modern residents are so susceptible to stress, because chronic stress ensured by constant time pressure. However, unfortunately, we have not yet figured out how to make it comfortable for both.

What is better for your health - being a night owl or a lark?

The fact that being a morning person is more natural, and therefore useful, is beyond doubt. A person who lives in the same rhythm not only with nature, but also with society, is, of course, in an advantageous position. As for owls, opinions are divided. Many experts, including psychologists, do not find anything wrong with this lifestyle, as long as the person himself lives comfortably this way. However, few owls manage to structure their lives in such a way that they are truly comfortable, because willy-nilly they have to adapt if they visit the same educational institution, For example.

Often people consider themselves night owls not because of their chronotype, but for the banal reason that they do not know how to organize their time. As a rule, they go to bed late not because this way of life suits them, but because they are unable to tear themselves away from the TV, their favorite computer toy, or simply surfing the Internet. Such people have difficulty getting up in the morning, skip classes at the institute, are always late for work, are in prostration until lunch and finally gather strength in the evening and then repeat pathological cycle at first. When the day off comes, they sleep off all the week’s suffering, explaining to others and themselves this lifestyle as a chronological type of owl.

This lifestyle is a direct path to nervous disorders, called chronic lack of sleep and stress. The consequence is constant overwork, psycho-emotional stress, and, as a result, insomnia, syndrome chronic fatigue, neuroses and depression. It must be said that doctors’ objections to owls are based precisely on this, but strictly speaking, such people are not owls, they are victims of their own inability to organize life wisely.

Despite the fact that we are forced to live in a regime daylight hours, convenient for early risers (people who get up in the morning without special effort, cheerful and energetic at work during the day and getting ready for bed in the evening), there are more owls in the world (those who are unsettled by waking up early, and whose peak performance occurs at night).

The division into owls and larks is determined by inherited biorhythms. Which of these types is in a more advantageous position?

Research shows: of all the people living in the world, about 20% are owls. They have difficulty waking up early in the morning, are unsteady by mid-day, and are most active at night.

About 10% of people are early risers, who get up easily in the morning, are most productive in the first half of the day, and feel tired in the evening.

Who are the others?

70% — intermediate type, so-called pigeons: without special problems They go to bed late and waking up in the morning is not a problem for them. True, it is difficult for the universal type to decide what time of day is most productive for him, but, having absorbed the features of both early and late chronotypes (dependence of biorhythms on the time of day), unlike avid owls and larks, he has a lifelong less problems due to its versatility and easy adaptability.

Scientists have found that owls, as a rule, associate their lives with intellectual stress: they are independent, engage in science and creativity, quickly switch between tasks, easily accept non-standard, creative solutions and have a greater craving for novelty.

Larks are physically hardy (there are many athletes among them), they are the most driven, they easily put up with the fact that they work for someone, they are more persistent and prefer cooperation when doing work.

Both owls and larks experience discomfort due to the biorhythms determined at birth. If you don't sleep the way nature told you, you will always feel out of place, and this can affect your psychological state.

For example, owls are not to blame for the fact that they do not like to get up early in the morning, but they are still known in society as lazy people who put their own whims above the interests of others. But owls, compared to larks, are more resistant to stress. This was shown by the low level of the “stress hormone” - cortisol - in their blood.

However, not everything is so smooth: the unnatural rhythm for owls, in which they have to get up early (most institutions, whatever one may say, work in the morning), but cannot go to bed early due to their chronotype, leads to the fact that among them there are more smokers and people alcohol abusers.

Which chronotype is better? complex issue. No study will answer it. The main thing is not to get up and go to bed on time, but to get enough sleep and not fight the biological regime given by nature.

Although people have lived for thousands of years according to the rules of early risers, the reality is that night owls still need to try, if possible, to adjust their work schedule to themselves and choose professions in which the result is important, and not what time of day it is achieved.

However, we note that scientists from the University of Toronto believe that early risers are at least... a little happier, because after surveying almost 800 respondents from 17 to 79 years old, the researchers found that early risers consistently earn more positive emotions. This may not clearly indicate that they are happier, but they still get a little more joy from life.

"Owls" and "larks": Human biological rhythms

According to biological rhythms, people are divided into “larks” and “night owls”.

“Larks” are those people who wake up and get up before dawn. Moreover, they get up easily and without any fatigue or lack of sleep. And they go to bed early too.
Owl people are nocturnal. In the morning they prefer to sleep longer. In the first half of the day, people are night owls, usually sleepy and sleepy. Closer to lunch they begin to become active. They go to bed late.
About 23 years ago, scientists conducted a study of human biorhythms. They conducted an experiment in which it turned out that if you shine a spot of bright light on the surface of the leg behind the knee, the rhythm of sleep and the human biological clock are disrupted.

Scientists still cannot explain why this happens. There is no consensus among researchers about why people are divided into “night owls” and “larks.”

Some scientists argue that the habit of waking up sooner or later is genetically embedded in a person and is regulated by genes. And the biological rhythm cannot be corrected. Others say that it will not be difficult for a person to turn from a “night owl” into a “lark.”

And the majority is inclined towards the second version.

Today biological rhythms studies chronobiology. But the problem of time inside living organisms was dealt with by Eastern scientists back in ancient times. Human biological rhythms can interact with each other, as well as with the rhythms of the environment.

Some experts in this field argue that a person’s belonging to the group of “night owls” or “larks” is a habit that has been established since childhood.

If parents are used to going to bed early, then the child will also go to bed early. And he will most likely continue this habit in the future. Unless, of course, he gets carried away by watching TV at night or surfing the Internet around the clock.

IN modern world It is difficult to completely obey your biological rhythm. In most cases, the working day begins early in the morning, and night owls are not allowed to sleep until lunch. You have to adapt to the circumstances.

One way or another, a person is quite capable of independently adjusting his sleep rhythm. But you can’t change your mind in one day. This can have a very adverse effect on the body - you will get insomnia or headaches.

It takes at least two weeks for the body to get used to the new schedule. You need to gradually shift your rhythm by 15 minutes.

Go to bed earlier during this time. And you should also wake up earlier. First for 15 minutes, then for 20, and so on.

You need to take care of the melody for the alarm clock. A loud, unexpected sound has an irritating effect on the psyche, and you will feel sleep-deprived all day. It is better to wake up to light, quiet music.

Doctors and psychologists say that healthy regime sleep - 8 hours. This is how long it takes for a person to feel all cheerful day.

The ideal sleep schedule for a person is from 10 pm to 6 am. People who stick to this schedule are called “pigeons.” They easily fall asleep in the evening and also easily get up in the morning without experiencing discomfort. Such people are distinguished by excellent health.

Many scientists say that the main cause of sleep disorders is round-the-clock access to the Internet from computers and phones. Bright light from screens “tricks” the brain, creating the effect of daylight at night. Those who like to sit at the computer at night experience severe fatigue by the morning.

By the way, even a little light from a digital watch can disrupt your sleep patterns. This light “turns off” the sleep pattern in the brain and causes a decrease in the concentration of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Therefore, it is better to replace the electronic clock in the bedroom with a regular one, which will not be a source of light.

According to doctors, night owls are susceptible to greater risk get cancer than early risers.

The fact is that sufficient quantity in the body melatonin is reliable prevention and a cure for dangerous diseases. And for the production of this hormone, one condition must be met - darkness. In daylight or artificial light, melatonin is not produced. That's why night rest enables the body to overcome anything pathological processes and violations that arose in it for any reason. Besides, correct mode night sleep prolongs youth.

It should be remembered that it is best to fall asleep in quiet room, since noise in the room where a person sleeps can reduce the body’s immune properties.

This happens even if the person does not wake up from the noise. Noise is especially dangerous at the moment when you have just fallen asleep and in the last two hours of sleep, it can cause sleep disorder.

Our lives are controlled by internal biological rhythms. They are the ones who determine human activity in different time days. And it is very important to know what clock our body works in order to live in harmony with ourselves.

Depending on their chronotype, all people can be divided into three categories: “owls”, “larks” and “pigeons”. Moreover, every fifth of us is considered to be a night owl. In the morning hours, their psychophysiological functions are inhibited, then during the day their activity gradually increases, and their peak performance occurs in the evening and night. As a rule, such people are distinguished by inertia, prudence, validity of conclusions, and a tendency to logical thinking and abstract generalizations.

About 30% of people are early risers. They work better in the morning with a “fresh mind”, but by the end of the day they become less energetic, and they endure evening and night shifts with great difficulty. Early risers are often enthusiasts, idea generators, or daring creators. The remaining half of all people are classified as “pigeons,” or arrhythmics. They easily adapt to any work schedule, that is, they are alert at any time of the day.

Who is who?

Determining which “pack” you belong to is not always easy. It often happens that living conditions force us to adapt to a daily routine that is not typical for our nature. But if a person breaks his biorhythms, for example, struggles with insomnia or, conversely, with sleep, this can lead to bad consequences.

"Owls" are richer than "larks". V them better memory, thinking, better health. These results were obtained by English researchers based on a survey of 3,000 people over 50 years of age.
It is clear that “owls” appeared after the electric light bulb was invented; before that, all people lived “according to the sun”: they went to bed early and got up early.
According to research by American scientists, the number of early risers is currently decreasing.
It is curious that among people 18-30 years old, almost half are night owls. At the age of 30-50 years such people are already about 30%. And after 50 years, only a few continue to be night owls.
Among the "owls" there are many representatives creative professions. They, as a rule, have imaginative thinking - these are people with the leading right hemisphere of the brain. “Larks” are distinguished by an analytical mindset, for which they are responsible left hemisphere. They often become mathematicians and physicists.

Horn-Ostberg Questionnaire (short version)

Do you find it difficult to get up early in the morning?

yes, almost always - 3 points;
sometimes - 2 points;
rarely - 1 point;
extremely rarely - 0 points.

If you had the choice, what time would you go to bed in the evening?

after 1 am - 3 points;
from 23 to 1 o'clock - 2 points;
from 22 to 23 hours - 1 point;
until 22:00 - 0 points.

What kind of breakfast do you prefer during the first hour after waking up?

dense - 0 points;
less dense - 1 point;
you can limit yourself boiled egg- 2 points;
a cup of tea or coffee is enough - 3 points.

If you remember all your recent disagreements with family members and colleagues, at what time of day do they mostly occur?

in the morning - 1 point;
in the afternoon - 0 points.

What would be easier for you to give up?

from morning tea or coffee - 2 points;
from evening tea - 0 points.

less than a minute - 0 points;
more than a minute - 2 points.

How easily do you change your eating habits while on vacation or traveling?

very easy - 0 points;
easy - 1 point;
difficult - 2 points;
don't change - 3 points.

If you have important things to do early in the morning, how early do you go to bed?

more than 2 hours - 3 points;
for an hour or two - 2 points;
less than an hour - 1 point;
as usual - 0 points.

Count the points for all questions.

Sum from 0 to 7 indicates belonging to the “larks”;
from 8 to 13– to the “pigeons”;
from 14 to 20– to the “owls”.

To better understand yourself and then draw appropriate conclusions, pay attention to the advice of experts. Firstly, there is an opinion that a person’s internal biorhythms determines the time of birth. Those born between 4 and 11 a.m. are “larks,” and those born between 4 p.m. and midnight are “night owls.” The rest are “pigeons”. If you do not know the hour of your birth, use the following method - physiological. This test was invented German professor Gunther Hildebrandt. In the morning, immediately after waking up, measure your heart rate and the number of breaths per minute. If their ratio is somewhere around 4:1, then you are a “dove”; if it is 5:1 or 6:1, then you are a “lark”. An increase in the frequency of inhalations and a ratio of 3:1 or less are typical for typical night owls. To check which type you belong to, you can also use the questionnaire of Swedish scientists Horn and Ostberg.

Where to lay the straws?

"Lark people" are more prone to diabetes mellitus, obesity, circulatory diseases, migraines, asthma, more sensitive to weather changes.

“Owls” are more likely to suffer from stomach ulcers, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and angina pectoris. This has scientific explanation. Back in the 1950s, British geneticist and microbiologist Francis Rick found that the daily release of hormones in “owls” is 1.5 times higher than in “larks,” which is why they are so active in the evening and at night.

More wise men Ancient Greece We noticed that some people work more quickly in the morning, while others work more in the evening, so the former were nicknamed “larks”, the latter – “night owls”. Doctors and psychologists believe that a sixth (33%) of all people are “larks”, a third (17%) are “night owls”. The remaining (50%) do not comply circadian rhythm(). Their body works smoothly, without wave vibrations. Such people are called “jays”, “pigeons” or arrhythmics. Many people belong to intermediate chronotypes and are not bright representatives of “owls”, “larks” or “doves”.

Famous owls

Among the famous historical figures, the “owls” were the ancient Roman statesman and politician, commander Gaius Julius Caesar, the Swedish king Charles XII, the English naturalist and traveler Charles Robert Darwin, and the great English writer of the 18th century Samuel Johnson.

Famous larks

The first All-Russian Emperor Peter I the Great and the great Russian commander, one of the founders of Russian military art, Alexander Suvorov, were early risers.

Professions of owls, larks and pigeons

It was noticed that among workers mental work“night owls” predominate, while almost half of those employed physical labor, are "doves". It is important to take into account your chronobiological stereotype when choosing a job, especially when choosing professions that require night shifts or frequent business trips with changing time zones. Let's take a closer look at these aspects.

"Larks": biorhythms and physique

“Larks” are people whose circadian rhythm shifts forward, that is, they have advanced sleep phase syndrome. Their circadian rhythm fluctuation period is less than 24 hours. These are the “morning” type of people. They wake up independently and quite early, feel rested after sleep, alert and productive in the first half of the day, feel drowsy in the evening and, if possible, go to bed early. They quickly restore strength, but also get tired quickly. It is better for them to go to bed no later than 11 pm, otherwise they will feel tired the next day. Evening and night shifts are not for early risers. "Larks" better than owls adapt to jet lag and rarely suffer from associated insomnia.

"Larks" react strongly and quickly to external influences, prone to hobbies. These people are great enthusiasts. In science, these are the creators of new ideas. They show new paths, leaving the development of details to the night owls, since by the time the work is completed, the early risers often lose interest in it or lack the energy. They react to all stimuli faster and more sharply than night owls. “Larks” are more often the owners of a picnic body type; in terms of their temperament, they are pronounced choleric or sanguine people.

Perhaps the fact that a person is born a “lark” is to blame heredity. American scientists conducted research in families in which the need to go to bed early and get up early exists for several generations. Members of these families were found to have a defect in a certain gene. This gene was implanted into experimental mice - and they turned into “larks”; it was implanted into fruit flies - and they became... “owls”. So perhaps the central component has been found biological clock mammals.

Biorhythms of "owls", temperament of owls

These are people who experience delayed sleep phases. They have a period of oscillation circadian rhythms more than 24 hours, or the so-called delayed sleep phase syndrome. It has been established that people of the evening type adapt more easily to work in night shift and three-shift work. Owls have better control over their sleep-wake rhythm than other people. Night owls fall asleep long after midnight, wake up late, and have difficulty getting up, since the most deep period they have sleep before the morning. Peak performance occurs in the second half of the day and lasts until late at night. Naturally, it is better for owls to go to bed later and wake up later.

"Owls" are characterized by a slow and weak reaction to stimuli. These are calm, reasonable people who are in no hurry to draw conclusions and try to substantiate them sufficiently; sometimes they are pedants, taxonomists, prone to logical thinking, mathematics, abstract generalizations, inert, expectant, and withdrawn. They are distinguished by good self-control, prudence, excessive severity and despotism. Passive and indecisive in new endeavors, they hesitate for a long time before getting involved in work, but once they start, they finish the job. More often these are people of asthenic body type, with a temperament type - phlegmatic or melancholic.

Biorhythms of "pigeons"

The combination of passive and active temperaments in a person creates uncertain biorhythm of performance. With more detailed analysis Nevertheless, some inclination towards one or another pole of performance is revealed, depending on which temperament predominates. The period of the best mental and physical activity at the “pigeons” it is celebrated from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How to travel for pigeons

When changing time zones, pigeons' biological clocks may malfunction. Thus, moving to the west can lengthen the biorhythms of “pigeons,” and flying to the east can shorten it. If the time difference is more than 4 hours, then the development of a new stereotype of sleep and wakefulness will occur in “pigeons” only after 7-14 days, and the level steroid hormones normalizes after 2-3 months. Pigeons tolerate moving to the east more easily than to the west. This information will be useful to those people who love to travel by sea. long distances and, especially, those who prefer to spend their short (7-10 days) vacation away from their homes.

"Larks" and "owls" get sick differently

« Larks» more prone to diabetes, obesity, circulatory diseases, migraines, asthma, and more sensitive to weather changes.

« Owls"More often than early risers, they suffer from stomach ulcers, myocardial infarction, oncological diseases, at acute diseases The body temperature does not rise sharply and recovery is slow.

"Owls" have in general better health than early risers, they have better memory and thinking. And (this, of course, does not relate to health, but it is very interesting!) “night owls” are often richer than “larks”.

"Owls" and "larks" are distributed differently around the globe -

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