Health
Sleeping-In Helps Productivity
Scientists have now come up with a good reason for having that much-cherished lie-in in the morning. It's an instinctive thing, say a couple of researchers in the Netherlands, and by following it, people could find themselves becoming more productive.
Drs. Hans van Dongen and Gerald Kerkhof at Leiden University have found a two-hour difference in the body clock of people who are active in the morning and those who are more lively at night. This, the sleep experts say, suggests that early-rising "larks" and sleep-in "owls" should work at times that suit them if they want to be happier and work more effectively.
"Owls are more tolerant to shift work," says Kerkhof. "Their normal cycle is more different from the 24-hour clock than larks, so they are used to adapting to a different sleep/wakefulness pattern."
The clock that ticks within our bodies is not the familiar 24-hour cycle, but is closer to 25 hours. Kerkhof and van Dongen say they have discovered that "larks" have a clock with a 24.5 hour period, while "owls" tick over at a 25.5-hour rate.
Drs. Hans van Dongen and Gerald Kerkhof at Leiden University have found a two-hour difference in the body clock of people who are active in the morning and those who are more lively at night. This, the sleep experts say, suggests that early-rising "larks" and sleep-in "owls" should work at times that suit them if they want to be happier and work more effectively.
"Owls are more tolerant to shift work," says Kerkhof. "Their normal cycle is more different from the 24-hour clock than larks, so they are used to adapting to a different sleep/wakefulness pattern."
The clock that ticks within our bodies is not the familiar 24-hour cycle, but is closer to 25 hours. Kerkhof and van Dongen say they have discovered that "larks" have a clock with a 24.5 hour period, while "owls" tick over at a 25.5-hour rate.
