People who do night and day, ie the so-called “night's”, also known as “owls”, are twice as likely to underperform their work, as those who wake up and go to bed early, ie the “morning's”, known and as “lizards”, according to a new Finnish scientific study.
The researchers, led by Dr. Tapio Reicha of Xulu University, who published the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, analyzed data on 2,672 men and 3,159 women, who were followed for four years.
Their chronotype was evaluated as follows: “Korydalloi” 46%, intermediate 44% and “owl” 10% in men, while the respective percentages in women were 44%, 44% and 12%. It was found that, compared to the “owls”, the “owls” had a worse rating in everything related to sleep and health in general.
Night owls generally sleep less (rarely reach seven hours of sleep), have more frequent insomnia, and are more likely to be unmarried and unemployed. In addition, the morning formulas more often adopt a healthy lifestyle, while the night formulas have more physical and mental health problems, which also affects productivity at work.
The “owls” work best in the morning (ie the usual working hours for most people), while the “owls” perform better in the afternoon and evening. 28% of men and 24% of women who are nocturnal types show low efficiency in their work, a significantly higher percentage than the morning types.
In both sexes the probability of underperformance is about twice that of “owls” compared to “owls”. Also, nocturnal types are more likely to retire early due to disability.
The chronology of a person has -basically- genetic background, according to scientists, but also play a role in certain environmental factors (type of work, family life, etc.), as well as psychological.
