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Freedom Updated: "2010/11/20 04:11"
By Zhou Shuling
As winter approaches, many people find it easy to extend their sleep a little longer due to the warmth of their beds. Some might even enter a state of "hibernation." Could it be that sleep patterns vary by season for certain individuals?
In the international journal *SLEEP*, researchers once studied the relationship between birth seasons and sleep habits. They found that those born in autumn and winter tend to go to bed earlier than those born in spring and summer, while women generally sleep longer than men.
This multinational study included 1,869 university students from Spain and 3,851 from Italy. Using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the researchers measured whether participants were more "night owls" or "larks" to explore the connection between their sleep patterns and birth seasons.
**Daylight Hours Affect Sleep**
The results showed that sleep habits did not differ significantly by country. However, overall, men and women born in autumn and winter tended to go to bed earlier than those born in spring and summer—though the difference was slight, averaging just 18 minutes, it was statistically significant. Wake-up times, however, did not vary by season.
One theory suggests that the amount of daylight at birth may influence the development of one’s biological clock. Since daylight hours are shorter in autumn and winter, this could lead to an earlier bedtime tendency.
**Men Sleep Less Than Women**
Regardless of birth season, men generally sleep slightly less than women. One explanation proposed by the study is that, in human evolution, men’s hunting roles—compared to women’s caregiving roles—may have influenced their sleep duration.
Thus, a person’s biological clock is easily affected by daytime light exposure. Even those born in spring and summer may shift to an earlier sleep schedule if their current lifestyle includes ample daylight exposure (especially at least 30 minutes of light upon waking), adjusting their "sleep chronotype" to an earlier time and making them feel sleepy sooner.
You might observe your family members—do those born in winter tend to go to bed earlier, while summer-born individuals lean toward being night owls? If you want to change such patterns, it’s not impossible. By ensuring adequate daylight exposure at the right time each day, you can gradually adjust sleep habits influenced by birth season.
(The author is a clinical psychologist at the Sleep Center of Shin Kong Hospital.)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 101120/ 78/ 2hgwk. html
International Study: Autumn/Winter Births Sleep Earlier, Summer Births are Night Owls
By Zhou Shuling
As winter approaches, many people find it easy to extend their sleep a little longer due to the warmth of their beds. Some might even enter a state of "hibernation." Could it be that sleep patterns vary by season for certain individuals?
In the international journal *SLEEP*, researchers once studied the relationship between birth seasons and sleep habits. They found that those born in autumn and winter tend to go to bed earlier than those born in spring and summer, while women generally sleep longer than men.
This multinational study included 1,869 university students from Spain and 3,851 from Italy. Using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the researchers measured whether participants were more "night owls" or "larks" to explore the connection between their sleep patterns and birth seasons.
**Daylight Hours Affect Sleep**
The results showed that sleep habits did not differ significantly by country. However, overall, men and women born in autumn and winter tended to go to bed earlier than those born in spring and summer—though the difference was slight, averaging just 18 minutes, it was statistically significant. Wake-up times, however, did not vary by season.
One theory suggests that the amount of daylight at birth may influence the development of one’s biological clock. Since daylight hours are shorter in autumn and winter, this could lead to an earlier bedtime tendency.
**Men Sleep Less Than Women**
Regardless of birth season, men generally sleep slightly less than women. One explanation proposed by the study is that, in human evolution, men’s hunting roles—compared to women’s caregiving roles—may have influenced their sleep duration.
Thus, a person’s biological clock is easily affected by daytime light exposure. Even those born in spring and summer may shift to an earlier sleep schedule if their current lifestyle includes ample daylight exposure (especially at least 30 minutes of light upon waking), adjusting their "sleep chronotype" to an earlier time and making them feel sleepy sooner.
You might observe your family members—do those born in winter tend to go to bed earlier, while summer-born individuals lean toward being night owls? If you want to change such patterns, it’s not impossible. By ensuring adequate daylight exposure at the right time each day, you can gradually adjust sleep habits influenced by birth season.
(The author is a clinical psychologist at the Sleep Center of Shin Kong Hospital.)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 101120/ 78/ 2hgwk. html