Are You a Morning or Evening Person—And Does It Matter?
Robert Sapolsky, in his engaging talk “Morning vs. Night People” delves into the fascinating science of chronotypes —the biological preferences individuals have for when they feel most alert, active, or tired during a 24-hour cycle. “Some people are strongly morning chronotypes, while others are clearly evening chronotypes. What does that look like in real life? It comes down to things like: What time do you prefer to go to sleep? What time do you like to wake up? What time of day do you feel most alert or active? When do you get the hungriest?” These patterns aren’t just about habits—they’re deeply tied to circadian rhythms , which are influenced by hormones like melatonin and cortisol . Remarkably, chronotypes tend to remain stable over a lifetime, even as societal structures push us toward one-size-fits-all schedules. A Forgotten Insight: What Midwives Observed While most discussions on chronotypes focus on genetics, light exposure, and modern sleep science, there’s a lesser...