An Early Bird or a Night Owl?

Are you a morning Lark or a night Owl?

The sleep-wake cycle and the positive and negative characteristics associated with being “Morning Larks” who go to bed early and rise at the crack of dawn, as opposed to “Night Owls” who can’t seem to get to bed at a reasonable hour and prefer to sleep in, are hotly debated topics. There are also “Humming Birds” in the mix, a breed that can adjust its internal clock and switch between a lark and an owl.

It is a matter of preference, but could our productivity suffer as a result of our choice? Let us not make matters more difficult for our lark or owl-like tendencies. They are not set in stone. I believe that the demands and responsibilities of our lives shape both; we either strive for a healthy balance or are forced to adapt. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, as well as bursts of creativity during our preferred working hours.

Whether we are a Lark, an Owl, or a Humming Bird, we all have one thing on our “To-Do List,” and that is to WAKE UP!

I used to be a morning person, but they now come at an inconvenient time of day. I don’t get up at odd hours, but I also don’t get up to watch the sunrise. I am unquestionably a night person.

When I’m forced to get up early, I am a Dino-Mite, and RAWRsome. Move out of my way, family and friends, before you became extinct. It’s s-T-Rexful, believe me!

There have been times when I’ve challenged the lark and owl in me to see if they could coexist. What do you believe happened?

It wasn’t a “birds of a feather flock together” kind of celebration. It was quite a flutter; no sweet melodies, but ‘owling.’ I would tuck myself back into bed until I felt a sense of normalcy.

Each of us is wired differently. Our 24-hour internal clock, known as “Circadian Rhythm,” governs our sleep-wake cycle as well as our emotions, moods, appetite, and other bodily functions. In a nutshell, it regulates our entire system. So, let us march to the beat of our 24-hour drum.

The debate over early birds versus night owls will continue to bill snap, which is not trilling, so no feather picking, but I want to share a couple of interesting facts about some of my friends who are “early risers.”

Some wake up with a sluggish drag and scream for coffee. I’m not sure how they manage to capitalise on the day’s opportunities. They’d whine incessantly about being disciplined and taught as children that “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” which they still do as adults in the hope that their vast experience will one day work in their favour. What should I say in response?

Few others wake up chirpy with soulful singing and have all plumaged for the day. Everything is fine until they start belting out songs and strutting around with a bounce in their step. They should know better when they have ‘night owls’ living under their roof. Before they can even waltz out the door, they hear tongues hiss and snap the air. These early birds were successful in catching the worm, but now they must squirm.

We know for certain that times have changed, and the adage “the early bird catches the worm” is no longer true, because the worms have wised up and sleep in late, and the night owls are self-assured enough “to make hay without the sun shining down on them.”

You know what works best for you, regardless of where you are on the sleep-wake spectrum.

Though I don’t use it, the best advice I can give is to stick to your ideal schedule and get enough sleep to get through it. Keep the singing after you’ve stepped out the door and less hooting at night so the larks have a good night’s sleep.

What a day! If you don’t mind, I’m going to bed now. According to legend, if you can’t sleep, it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream. So, if anyone out there is thinking of me, please pause.