> I think we are flexible enough to be whatever we want.
There are definitely some people out there who have severely distorted sleep schedules that won't respond to adjustments.
However, I think it's far more rare than a lot of people think. There are a lot of people whose shifted sleep schedules come mostly from lifestyle factors, not genetics.
This becomes most obvious when you watch new parents adapt. Most of the "genetic late sleepers" I knew mysteriously became natural morning people after having kids.
I had a coworker who insisted he simply could not show up to work before 11AM due to his sleep genetics. That is until he went on a camping trip for a week and his sleep schedule completely normalized. He was showing up at 9AM wide awake (and happy!) for several weeks after that, but then slowly shifted back to his 11AM arrivals as his sleep schedule deteriorated from his lifestyle. The culprit, in his case, was late-night internet usage that he wouldn't give up. At least he recognized and accepted the actual problem later.
Sounds about right. Sleep disorders are rare yet everyone thinks they have a sleep disorder. It's most likely poor habits. The best thing for me was having a routine.
There are definitely some people out there who have severely distorted sleep schedules that won't respond to adjustments.
However, I think it's far more rare than a lot of people think. There are a lot of people whose shifted sleep schedules come mostly from lifestyle factors, not genetics.
This becomes most obvious when you watch new parents adapt. Most of the "genetic late sleepers" I knew mysteriously became natural morning people after having kids.
I had a coworker who insisted he simply could not show up to work before 11AM due to his sleep genetics. That is until he went on a camping trip for a week and his sleep schedule completely normalized. He was showing up at 9AM wide awake (and happy!) for several weeks after that, but then slowly shifted back to his 11AM arrivals as his sleep schedule deteriorated from his lifestyle. The culprit, in his case, was late-night internet usage that he wouldn't give up. At least he recognized and accepted the actual problem later.