Contents
Traditionally, we divide people into owls and larks, i.e. those who are most active in the evening and night hours, and those bursting with energy from dawn. However, not everyone fits into such simplified categories. Our circadian rhythm is more complicated. scientists looked at it, and the result of their work is four new chronotypes describing the activity of those who do not fit into the first two categories.
- The most popular chronotype among the participants of the survey is the owl
- Only 5 percent. subjects do not identify themselves with any of the six chronotypes
- Among the new categories, most people chose the sleep type during the day
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Chronotypes: from highly active all day long to lethargic
“The results of our research suggest that traditional classification needs to be rethought and expanded,” says Dmitry S. Sveshnikov, a specialist in human physiology at the University of Friendship of Peoples.
It is a manifestation of our circadian rhythms, or otherwise it defines our tendency to sleep or be active at certain times during the day. This is our internal biological clock, on the basis of which we can be classified as early risers or night owls.
scientists studied nearly 2300 people, most of whom were students. They were asked to rate their own chronotype and assign it to one of the six categories described in the survey. Participants also completed a series of tests prepared by sleep specialists to estimate the level of sleepiness and agitation at different (sometimes random) times of the day.
It turned out that the vast majority of respondents found their chronotype among the six proposed by the researchers. Only 5 percent of the participants did not identify with any of them.
The s considered these results sufficient to announce the existence of six chronotypes – including traditional larks and owls, and four new categories: highly active all day, sleepy during the day, active during the day, and moderately active.
What are the characteristics of the individual chronotypes?
In the larks, energy levels are high in the morning, then begin to slowly decline. In the middle of the day, their performance is average and continues to decline until a low level in the evening.
Owls, on the other hand, show little activity in the morning. It rises to an average level in the middle of the day and continues to rise until it reaches its peak at night.
The four new chronotypes show different patterns:
- highly active types literally burst with energy all day long;
- daytime sleepers are active in the morning, but already in the middle of the day their energy is exhausted, and then increases to an average level in the evening;
- types active during the morning are sluggish and achieve high performance in the middle of the day. Later their energy drops to an average level in the evening;
- moderately active people have fairly low energy levels all day long.
Interestingly, only slightly more than a third (37%) of the respondents actually identified as early birds or owls (13% and 24% respectively). It is worth noting that owls, which are considered to be 24 percent. of the respondents turned out to be the most popular chronotype.
58 percent fell into the new categories. subjects. 18 percent identify themselves as sleepy during the day, 16 percent as moderately active, and 15 percent. as active during the day. However, only 9 percent. stated that he is one of the most active people throughout the day.
The first study was quite limited, so a team of scientists is planning another one. The s want to use modern experimental methods, thanks to which it will be possible to obtain more information on the functioning of the six chronotypes.
See also:
- Diseases to which your blood type may expose you [WE EXPLAIN]
- Which side is better to sleep on? Doctor: avoid the right side. Why?
- What to eat to improve your mood?
- 10 diseases you can live with for years and not know anything about it
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.