Scientists are coming up with certain slight changes in life routine to help the night owls lead a normal life without the help of medication. Night owls prefer hitting bed late and waking up late, which puts their body cycle in a fix trying to cope up with the modern day 9a.m-5p.m working hour. This in turn leaves a person in a jet lagged condition throughout the day. To avoid this condition of constant tiredness and sleepiness, scientists have come up with a few effective life routines after conducting a study. Participants were 22 healthy individuals who followed an average routine of going to bed around 2:30 a.m. and waking up around 10:15 a.m. They were asked to make the following 4 changes in their everyday life over a period of 3 weeks –
- Waking up 2–3 hours earlier than they usually would and trying to get maximum exposure to outdoor light in the morning.
- Going to bed 2–3 hours earlier than they usually would and minimizing exposure to light sources in the evening, before bed.
- Keeping to the same wake-up times and bedtimes every day, including at weekends.
- Eating breakfast first thing after waking up, lunch at a consistent time each day, and dinner no later than 7 p.m.
After 3 weeks, participants started feeling lively with a boosted mood and healthier physique with an increased reaction time and with improved grip strength in the morning. Thus coming up with a long term cure for night owls without having to take any kind of medications. Establishing simple routines could help 'night owls' adjust their body clocks and improve their overall physical and mental health. Insufficient levels of sleep and circadian misalignment can disrupt many bodily processes, putting us at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.", says Study co-author Prof. Debra Skene.