[Mari]

Hi,

I think that I was born a nightowl. According to this article, nightowlness is at least 50% genetic.
HA!
I'd like to have another talk to my old pdoc and old tdoc. The old pdoc said it was a learned behavior and could be unlearned.
HA!
I think that pdocs nowadays are more careful about saying what is learned and what is not.

My bedroom window faces East; I go to bed when the sun comes up.
What is that about?

Anway, here is the link to the article.
M.



http://www.newsweek.com/id/142142?from=rss?nav=slate

Nine Ways to Become a Morning Person

Night owls don't have it easy. After all, few people can choose to show up at work or school late. And that night-owl tendency--sleep doctors call it a "delayed sleep phase," in which you go to bed and rise late--is hard to change. "Some people have this tendency right from the minute they come out of the womb," says Dr. Nancy Collop, director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Sleep Disorders Center in Baltimore.

1. Routine, Routine: Try to get up at the same time each day--even on weekends and days off. Disruptions in your schedule could throw off the body's sleep pattern for weeks.

2. Let the Sun Shine In: Sleep in a room with eastern exposure, and with the blinds up, so the morning sun shines in. Light is how the body sets its clock.

3. Get Some Extra Help: Sleeping pills may be needed to get to sleep in the evening, but ideally only temporarily to establish the desired routine. . . .

4. Noises Off: Don't read or watch TV in bed. Use the bed for sleeping (and of course, sex).

5. Smart Snacks: Don't eat large meals late at night--but small snacks before bed are sometimes helpful, says Collop. . . .

6. Curb the Caffeine:

7. Wind Down, Not Up:

8. Get Help: Consult a sleep specialist . . .

9. Don't Be Hard on Yourself: Morning slowness doesn't mean you are lazy or apathetic about your day.

Night-owl tendencies are estimated to be at least 50 percent genetic in origin, says Steven Brown, a sleep exert at the University of Zurich.

You may find rising early a struggle for much of your life. But even night owls often naturally shift toward earlier bedtimes and rising as they age, typically after 60.