Chronotypes: Your natural propensity to be an early riser or night owl | Matthew Walker

A person's chronotype, their innate tendency to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period, is based strongly on genetically determined circadian rhythms. Disruption of a person’s chronotypic schedule can influence mood, productivity, and disease risk because it may interfere with the duration of their REM sleep, which is essential for emotional well-being. In this clip, Dr. Matthew Walker describes the different chronotypes and the risks associated with adopting a sleep pattern that is contrary to our natural type.

Original episode published on Feb 28, 2019
🙇‍♀️ #Sleep #Cancer #Alzheimers 🧠

About FoundMyFitness: Rhonda Patrick has a Ph.D. in biomedical science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She also has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in biochemistry/chemistry from the University of California. She has done extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition.

It is Dr. Patrick’s goal to challenge the status quo and encourage the wider public to think about health and longevity using a proactive, preventative approach.

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[AudraGibson]

It’s so strangely comforting to know that there’s nothing innately “wrong” with me that I’ve struggled to go to sleep at “a reasonable hour” basically all my adult life. It’s not because I’m undisciplined. I’m just genetically wired to be a night owl.
Edit: time stamp on this comment: 2:31am

[rena]

You have no idea how much this video helped me. Seriously thank you.

[Living_Connectedness]

Reading Matthews book changed the way I see myself and helped me accept who I am. I didn’t feel like I fit in. I now feel as though I do have my own place in the world.

[victoriawhite]

I am a night owl. I worked nights for, four months, that was the best I ever felt. I had so much energy, I was happy, I sleep so good during the day and wake up fresh. I felt so healthy. I love the night. Everything is opposite now.

[bruhdon]

I have never slept at night, since I was a child I’ve struggled to sleep at night & also to wake up in the mornings, I essentially have had to work night jobs all my life & I always struggled waking up for school & college.

[sam_alleycat_]

I'm a total night owl. Thank you so much for this information. I really struggle to function in this society because I am just so different in so many ways. My whole family has tried to force me to be normal and I just can't help how I am. I have tried everything but I am the most productive at night. My mind thinks faster at night and I get more done. I am more creative and I don't have a weight problem, my doctor says my body is strong. I always thought I was pathetic because I couldn't follow everyone else's sleep pattern. It caused so much anxiety and depression because I would get panic attacks in bed when I was forced to sleep early because I needed to wake up early. I love the night because it is quieter and I feel safer without the noise and so many people everywhere.

[michaelodunsi]

Here me at 3:12 am finally not feeling guilty about being king of the owl people

[grantschultz]

Dr. Patrick, thank you so much for your work! You’ve helped provide the information for me to drastically improve my sleep. I first found out about you on Joe Rogan, and you’ve also helped me to greatly improve my diet based on your discussion of the micro biome. I had to idea it existed, which made it difficult to take care of! Thanks again!

[zelimamata]

Thanks you for not leaving me feel guilty one more day, I/ve been shouting it for years and I remember the day a medical doctor laughed at me when I said my problem was genetic, that I was designed for late sleeping like a wolf.

[curateddaisies]

How do I determine if it's my chronotype or bad sleeping habits that make me a night owl?

[treysims]

I’ve always been a night person. I wake up around 11:30pm go to work at 2am com home 10am go to bed around 4-5pm. I got more energy and motivation than waking up early. I’ve been on a similar schedule since my whole childhood up to adulthood.

[RollTimeratYT]

I am an extreme morning person, go to bed at 6 pm and start waking in the 3 am hour. Sometimes I fall asleep as early as 5 pm. Getting much more quality, restful sleep since I started sleeping on a grounding mat. Dream and remember some of those dreams almost every night.

[paulman]

I've loathed the AM hours after the sun rises for as long as I can remember.

[silence]

This made me realize my chronotype is insomnia

[freddieayre-smith]

Yo Matthew Walker, you said on Joe Rogan that we have an innate sleeping pattern and said that midnight is the "middle of the night" but here you talk about sleeping patterns being personal, how do you reconcile those two points?
Can anybody else help? I can't imagine he's reading all the comments.

[rae]

I absolutely love the morning hours but based on my natural sleep rhythm I believe I'm an owl.

[beautylife]

Thanks for this. I always go to bed after 1am with no sleeping problem. Now I try to sleep earlier and find it harder. Need to find time suits for myself.

[robinstridh]

Anyone know where you can check your dna to know what type you are? I find it hard to pinpoint just by testing, too many other factors to consider when evaluating quality from sleep. Also getting test results would make it easier to build a case for changing work hours

[kjkj]

My life is miserable - I wake up at 7… And every morning I feel dead. I am cold, dizzy and nauseous. I am not able to eat anything till 11-12am… It doesn’t matter if I sleep 6, 8 or 10h - if I have to wake up in the morning I will feel exhausted anyway.
We are screwed and most likely we will die earlier.