art business - Larks and Owls
I'm most undeniably a Lark. What are you? Read this great newsletter from Robert Genn.
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Larks and owls
August 12, 2008
Dear Readers,
One thing about bumping over a few time zones, your sleep habits tend to get disrupted. Back in Vancouver I'm generally in the studio at 5 a.m. doing one thing or the other. Here in Italy I've transmogrified into a night person. I've actually been caught sleeping in. I think it has to do with the prevailing "La Dolce Vita" around here, the heat of midday, and the European habit of dining late.
You may have noticed that every time I recommend getting an early start, people write to say I'm losing my biscotti.
Professor Jim Horne of the Loughborough Sleep Research Center in England has come up with some new insights. His "diurnal preferences test" indicates that 15% of the population are morning people, 15% are evening people, and the rest are neither one nor the other. He refers to the extremes as "larks" and "owls."
Horne traces sleep changes based on genes and age. "Folks tend to be more larkish as children, becoming owlish through adolescence, and are their most owlish in their early twenties. In old age they become more of a lark again. It's age and habit and, to a lesser degree, genes."
The fun begins in the world of creativity. It seems that larks have an advantage in concentration and inventiveness, but owls are the ones who hold up the best in the long run. Larks tend to cave in and become dullards when deprived of normal sleep. Owls tolerate sleep-deprivation better. Apparently there are long and short genes called "Period 3" that regulate getting up and going to bed. Some of us are stuck with one or the other.
It looks like larks live for the hormone peaks that pop up after a balanced bout of short-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). On the other hand owls may be steadier and more persistent, and less "hormonal." But late night sessions also put a strain on the production of the neurochemicals serotonin and cortisol, which are responsible for a number of brain functions, including mood and concentration. Interestingly, jet lag also interferes with normal production of these goodies. Taking a brisk walk in the early morning sunshine is one of the best ways to regenerate the neurochemicals and get the clock back on time.
'Scuse me, it's 5 a.m. I've been pushing it all night so I'm going to go out and catch the Tuscan dawn.
Best regards,
Robert
PS: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." (Benjamin Franklin)
Esoterica: The general consensus is that the morning is the best time for many people to undertake complex tasks of creativity. Apparently, more can be achieved in the morning. But I'm seriously modifying my thoughts on the matter. There's a world of subscribers to this letter who insist that you must simply work when the spirit moves--morning, noon or night. And just be thankful that there is a movement. Grab it. You may be sitting around for a long time waiting for your hormones to pop in.
---------------------------------------------------------
Larks and owls
August 12, 2008
Dear Readers,
One thing about bumping over a few time zones, your sleep habits tend to get disrupted. Back in Vancouver I'm generally in the studio at 5 a.m. doing one thing or the other. Here in Italy I've transmogrified into a night person. I've actually been caught sleeping in. I think it has to do with the prevailing "La Dolce Vita" around here, the heat of midday, and the European habit of dining late.
You may have noticed that every time I recommend getting an early start, people write to say I'm losing my biscotti.
Professor Jim Horne of the Loughborough Sleep Research Center in England has come up with some new insights. His "diurnal preferences test" indicates that 15% of the population are morning people, 15% are evening people, and the rest are neither one nor the other. He refers to the extremes as "larks" and "owls."
Horne traces sleep changes based on genes and age. "Folks tend to be more larkish as children, becoming owlish through adolescence, and are their most owlish in their early twenties. In old age they become more of a lark again. It's age and habit and, to a lesser degree, genes."
The fun begins in the world of creativity. It seems that larks have an advantage in concentration and inventiveness, but owls are the ones who hold up the best in the long run. Larks tend to cave in and become dullards when deprived of normal sleep. Owls tolerate sleep-deprivation better. Apparently there are long and short genes called "Period 3" that regulate getting up and going to bed. Some of us are stuck with one or the other.
It looks like larks live for the hormone peaks that pop up after a balanced bout of short-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). On the other hand owls may be steadier and more persistent, and less "hormonal." But late night sessions also put a strain on the production of the neurochemicals serotonin and cortisol, which are responsible for a number of brain functions, including mood and concentration. Interestingly, jet lag also interferes with normal production of these goodies. Taking a brisk walk in the early morning sunshine is one of the best ways to regenerate the neurochemicals and get the clock back on time.
'Scuse me, it's 5 a.m. I've been pushing it all night so I'm going to go out and catch the Tuscan dawn.
Best regards,
Robert
PS: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." (Benjamin Franklin)
Esoterica: The general consensus is that the morning is the best time for many people to undertake complex tasks of creativity. Apparently, more can be achieved in the morning. But I'm seriously modifying my thoughts on the matter. There's a world of subscribers to this letter who insist that you must simply work when the spirit moves--morning, noon or night. And just be thankful that there is a movement. Grab it. You may be sitting around for a long time waiting for your hormones to pop in.