Unlocking the Science of Social Jet Lag and Sleep: An Interview With Till Roenneberg

Professor Till Roenneberg is a leading researcher of chronobiology, or biological rhythms, in the rapidly expanding field of sleep science. As the Head of Human Chronobiology at the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Roenneberg has unlocked the secret to how our unique internal clocks affect how and when we sleep -- and why some of us are burdened with the disadvantage of living in a time zone which is not our own. Roenneberg has incorporated his extensive knowledge of chronobiology and sleep habits into his own life, and he no longer uses an alarm clock in the morning (unless he's catching a flight). I spoke with Roenneberg about the effects of "social jet lag" on our behavior and performance, the changes schools and companies can make to accommodate our biological needs, and the aggressive campaign required to take away the "coolness" of sleep deprivation. What is social jet lag? A biological clock is ticking in every person, producing an individual daily timing. This defines a person's unique "chronotype," which can vary greatly between individuals. For some people, internal midday may coincide with external midday. Others can reach their internal midday several hours before or after external midday. Social jet lag measures this difference between our external social timing and that of our internal clock. Why does this difference exist within the population? We have changed our environment drastically. Internal clocks evo...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news