On Health with Houston Methodist

Night Owl vs. Early Bird: Is One Better Than the Other?


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We all know that the first crack of dawn is the prime time for some folks, an ungodly hour for others. But what do we really know about early birds and night owls, like who’s more productive or creative -- or healthier? It turns out, people’s chronotype, their natural inclination to sleep and wake at certain times, has a bigger impact on them than previously thought. In this week’s episode, we talk with a neurological expert about the prevalence of the two archetypes, the generalizations that can be made about them and why it’s not a good idea to fight your natural tendency.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interview)

Expert: Dr. Randall Wright, Neurologist

Notable topics covered:

  • The biological implications of sleep being tied to the sun
  • Are you either a night owl or early bird or is there a continuum? 
  • Whether a night owl can become a morning bird
  • The ages at which sleep patterns naturally change
  • Is being a night owl a bad thing or do early birds just have great PR?
  • What happens when an early bird works a night shift, a night owl a morning one?
  • Are there health risks associated with either archetype?
  • Is remote working making society more tolerant of night owls?
  • Should schools rethink their early start times?

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.

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On Health with Houston MethodistBy Houston Methodist

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