About owls and larks

Are you one of those people who are full of beans already at daybreak and jump out of bed cheerfully? Or would you rather sleep later because you’re not tired until the birds are already chirping? There are late risers and early birds by nature. The sleep-wake rhythm of most people, however, lies somewhere in between the morning-fresh larks and the nocturnal owls.

The time you get up or go to sleep does not only depend on the alarm clock on the bedside table: Deep inside of you your own clock is ticking; it determines whether you are more likely a late riser or an early bird.

Grumpy in the morning and a night owl or a top fit lark already early in the morning? An internal clock determines the individual sleep-wake rhythm of a human with the help of hormones; thereby, it is adjusted again and again by our internal “cellular clock” and the daylight. The system plays an important role in the physical and mental performance – not only for us, but also for animals and plants.

Dr Harald Stossier, Director of Vivamayr Medical Clinic, Austria