What kind of bird are you?

As I have mentioned before, I read every night before I go to bed. Usually I read romance or mystery novels, but sometimes I venture off. Right now I am reading a bit of light brain research. Yes, I'm crazy I know. Richard was picking up books on management and people interactions and I decided to read a few of them. This most recent on is called Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School by John Medina.

I won't go on about the book. It is one of those things that people are either fascinated by or could careless about.

The chapter I'm reading right now is about sleep. Now there is something we are all interested in.... especially if you are a mother, ok or a father, of young children.

The section that popped with me last night was titled Lark or Owl?. In a nutshell it says that a majority of the population falls into 3 main categories... Lark, Owl and Hummingbird.

A person who is a Lark (1 in 10 people) is a morning person. They get up early, are productive first thing in the morning, feel most alert around noon and like to go to bed early. Another interesting fact is larks do not drink a lot of coffee.

An Owl (2 in 10 people) is a night person. They like to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, given the opportunity would sleep until 10am, drink lots of coffee in order to function. They tend to enjoy dinner the most and find their most productive time around 6pm.

The last group are called Hummingbirds. This is where most people fall. Most hummingbirds lean toward either being more owl or more lark but they can fall right in the middle.

It also went on to say that these patterns of sleep are detectable in early childhood. And, if you are a lark there is a 50% chance at your child will also be a lark.

I don't know about you, but I'm a Larkish-Hummingbird as evident in the fact that I woke up this morning without the alarm before 7am. Now do I think being a mother has effected this.... yes! I've never really been a night owl. I wasn't the type to pull all nighters. I didn't see the need to party to all hours and sleep in until noon. I won't say I didn't from time to time but that was more rare than normal. But, since becoming a mother I've become more of a Lark. I now do most of my chores in the mornings. I often wake up before the alarm and can be found in bed around 9:30/10:00 (reading!).

I'm not sure how an owl would function as a parent unless you put your child on the same kind of schedule. Oh being an owl would be great those first 6 months when you are up doing feedings all night long. But an owl with a preschooler... not so much. I think I'll keep my lark type tendencies at least until they are teenagers and I'm up waiting for them to come home.... heaven help me!



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6 comments:

  1. Interesting. I'm probably a larkish hummingbird also. I don't like to get up super early, but morning is my most productive time and I do like to go to bed early.

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  2. I would have to agree with you- I'm a larkish hummingbird! I am most definetly not an owl- never have been and can't see that I ever will be. I never drank coffee until I started being a full time working mom of two. That was when the coffee started to appeal to me. I don't drink it every day though. Today I woke up at 7 right before Riley came down the steps- could be more he has me trained that he will be up then- not sure. I try to do my chores early and get them out of the way for the day. So I guess I would fall into pretty much the same group as you! :) The book you are reading actually does sound interesting to me. I like those kind of books.

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  3. I am a Lark too. If I wake up early...I can't go back to sleep...too much to do.

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  4. I am an owl but motherhood/the world has pushed me to be a hummingbird. During the school year I can't stay up too late because I have to get up in the morning. But, now that the summer is here, I find myself staying up till midnight, and although I'm not tired, going to sleep. Then I sleep in till 9. The girls sleep in till 9 too. If I was home all the time, I would definitely be an owl full time. My girls kind of take my schedule. But I could see Lyndsy being a lark and Jillian being an owl.

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  5. This is interesting! I am a owl - lark because I have a teenager that wants to stay out late and younger daughter that gets up early.

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  6. Interesting indeed! Seeing as it's 1:35 AM right now, I must be a night owl. But I guess I go both ways. I go weeks of being up early - and I'm perky person with no coffee. Now I'm on the up-late-minimal-sleep plan.

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