A number of key genes have been identified which are associated with sleep timing and sleep duration and these genetic factors help to determine whether we are naturally short sleepers, or long sleepers, or prefer to wake early or go to bed late. Each person will find their own natural timing within the day - their chronotype.Īcross a population, there are a range of chronotypes due to individual differences.
If a group of people are kept on the same light-dark schedule (16 hours light, 8 hours dark) for several weeks, some people will go to bed and wake early, some will go to sleep late and lie-in, some will sleep for only 7 hours, some for 9 hours and so on. While you might think that this is a personal choice, diurnal preference is partly encoded in our genes. These terms have been used to describe the phenomenon of diurnal preference: whether you are a morning-type or an evening-type person, based on the times when you prefer to sleep and when you do your best work. If you are alert in the mornings and go to bed early you are a "lark", but if you hate mornings and want to stay awake through the night, then you are an "owl".
However, some things are impossible to change, such as our genes and sunrise. Some of these factors can be relatively simple to deal with on an individual level, for example using earplugs, wearing bed-socks, taking the TV, radio, computer, telephone and pets out of the bedroom, drinking less alcohol, exercising earlier, and going to bed earlier. In addition to work, many other factors affect our sleep, including children, pets, noise pollution, temperature, bed type, pain, gender, bed partner, your income, hobbies, alcohol, drugs and medications, exercise, television, radio, computers, telephones – the list goes on and on. Some professions even demand excessive sleep deprivation as part of the job or a "rite of passage". Society glorifies "driven" individuals who succeed on apparently little sleep, whereas those who prioritise sleep are viewed as weak and not having the "right stuff". Sleepiness and sleep disorders cost the economy billions of pounds each year in days off work, lost time, inefficiency and accidents, yet the machismo associated with short sleep and long work hours is pervasive. Sleep, in turn, has a major impact upon society, influencing childhood learning and development, affecting workplace safety and efficiency, and even risk-taking behaviour. Society plays an enormous role in shaping our attitudes towards sleep and this affects how much sleep we get.
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