Good sleep is hard to come by According to the federal government more than one third of adults routinely fail to get a healthy amount of sleep defined as a minimum of seven hours a night If your night owl tendencies are ruining your sleep there are steps you can take to become more of a morning person
The first thing to keep in mind is that your bedtime to some extent is influenced by your genetics Everyone has a personal biological rhythm or chronotype that determines their optimal time to fall asleep and wake up Studies show that there are many genes that nudge some of us to be morning people some of us to be night owls and others to fall somewhere in between One study published in the journal Nature Communications for example analyzed the sleep habits of nearly 700000 people and identified a large number of genes that play a role in whether someone is a morning person or not On average people who carried the highest number of genetic variants for morningness tended to fall asleep and wake up about half an hour earlier than people who carried the fewest
Your circadian rhythm tendencies are genetic and cant really be changed said Dr Ilene M Rosen a sleep medicine doctor and associate professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania referring to the bodys innate 24 hour circadian cycles that govern when we wake up and fall asleep But the good news is that we can give our clocks some cues that influence it a little bit
Just because youre currently operating as a night owl doesnt mean you are destined to burn the midnight oil Its possible you stay up past your optimal bedtime because of distractions Many people who might naturally fall asleep around 10 pm for example end up staying up until midnight to work surf the web or binge on Netflix That makes it harder to wake up in the morning But you can become more of a morning person by focusing on your morning routine
First decide what time youd like to wake up Then get out of bed at exactly that time each day regardless of how tired you are and get some sunlight Sunlight tells your brain that its time to be awake Studies have found that morning light can advance your circadian rhythm which will help your body adjust to an earlier schedule As your body gets used to starting the day earlier youll naturally begin to fall asleep earlier in the evenings as well Ideally you should step outside in the morning and engage in exercise or some other activity that makes you alert A brisk walk outside in the morning is a pretty good way to start telling your internal clock that its time to do this Dr Rosen said
Dig deeper into the moment
If its dark out when youre aiming to wake up or you cant quite make it outside then consider trying bright light therapy which involves turning on a special lamp for about 30 minutes each morning as you go about getting ready for the day In this scenario a regular table lamp or overhead light will not do the trick You want to use a light therapy lamp because theyre designed to mimic outdoor light A typical light therapy lamp will cost you between $70 and $160
While sunlight exposure first thing in the morning is critical you should try to get plenty of sunlight during the day as well as this will also help to shift your clock in the right direction Then in the evening try to minimize your exposure to artificial light Its fine to use dim lights lamps and reading lights but you should try to avoid exposure to devices that emit blue light computers fluorescent lights television screens smartphones within two to three hours of the time youd like to fall asleep Studies have shown that blue light exposure at night can disrupt your sleep and suppress melatonin the hormone that helps to regulate sleep Researchers have found that blue light can throw off your circadian clock making it harder for you to become a morning person
Another thing that can help is taking a very low dose of melatonin which you can find at most pharmacies said Dr Sabra Abbott an assistant professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago Dr Abbott recommends taking no more than a half milligram about one hour before bed Its important to keep the dose low so that it clears your system quickly Were trying to provide a little signal that its the beginning of nighttime Dr Abbott said But we want it out of your system by the end of the night because melatonin at the end of the night can push your clock later and will make the problem worse
If you follow these steps you should start to feel increasingly sleepier at earlier times in the evening allowing you to fall asleep and wake up earlier But whatever you do make sure that you stick to your new routine including on the weekends Consistency is crucial If youre getting up early for work and going to bed early then you have to keep doing the things that got you there Dr Rosen said If theres a party on the weekend and you stay up late or you start watching Netflix late at night then you will undo everything you just did and youll have to start all over
Some people have a condition known as delayed sleep phase syndrome which is akin to being an extreme night owl They tend not to fall asleep until well after midnight and they can easily sleep through the morning This condition is most common among young people affecting roughly 7 to 16 percent of adolescents and young adults The behavioral changes mentioned above can help if you think you have this disorder But if you find that its still disrupting your ability to work go to school or function on a daily basis then it might be a good idea to contact a sleep specialist You can find one by going to the American Academy of Sleep Medicines website sleepeducationorg and entering your ZIP code But if you live in Alaska your best choice is the Alaska Sleep Clinic Find out why we were named Best Sleep Lab in the state for 2021 22 by Alaskans and call us today 907 357 6700
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Anahad OConnor is a staff reporter covering health science nutrition and other topics He is also a bestselling author of consumer health books such as Never Shower in a Thunderstorm and The 10 Things You Need to Eat
