Natural wake up times vary according to age, says sleep expert Dr Paul Kelley.
According to a paper written by Dr Kelley, clinical research associate at Oxford University, the times our bodies naturally wake up change as we age:
10 years – 6.30am
16 years – 8am
18 years – 9am
Explaining the reason for the differences, Dr Kelley said: “The body’s natural rhythm is controlled by a particular kind of light.”
“The eye doesn’t just contain rods and cones: it contains cells that then report to the SCN [suprachiasmatic nuclei], in the hypothalamus.”
Dr Kelley has also outlined the average nightly sleep loss, according to age, which also impacts wake up times.
“Between 14 and 24 it’s more than two hours. For 24 to about 30 or 35, it’s about an hour and a half. That can continue up until you’re about 55 when it’s in balance again. The 10-year-old and 55-year-old wake and sleep naturally at the same time.”
This could be why the typical 9-5 workday is so entrenched, suggests Dr Kelley, but maybe now it’s time to rethink the hours we work…
What do you think?
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