English Version | Don’t talk to me before my morning coffee

01 Sep 2023
By Maria Inês Pinto

Back to Work Issue

Some people love to see the sunrise to start their day, while others end their day just a few hours before sunrise. The line that separates the "early birds" from the "night owls" is actually called the "circadian rhythm" and it influences our entire lives - from the way we sleep to the way we work.

There are two types of people in life. The first are those creatures blessed by God or some other deity, who wake up at half past six in the morning, ready for an invigorating yoga session, followed by some hyper-aesthetic oatmeal that immediately ends up on Instagram and, in turn, precedes the #outfitoftheday photo published a few minutes later. Then there is the rest. The common mortals who can hardly drag themselves out of bed to go to the bathroom, who wake up swollen and disheveled, who can't manage to match a pair of socks, let alone an entire outfit. These are the people who arrive at work and seem to have a "do not disturb" sign stamped on their face, and who probably won't utter a word longer than two syllables in the first thirty minutes. They're the ones who almost crawl towards the office coffee machine, hoping that this divine elixir can be a kind of life raft to rescue them from their bad morning mood and excessive sleepiness. It won't be hard to think of someone who is like this or who might see themselves in this scenario. But we can assure you that it's not a question of laziness and much less of bad character. These behaviors have a relatively simple explanation and it all has to do with the circadian rhythm.

First of all, what is the circadian cycle or rhythm? In simplistic terms, we could say that it is the body's natural rhythm, lasting 24 hours and regulating its main biological activities." It is, in essence, a kind of internal clock, and it is extremely important for ensuring that everything works correctly in our body: it directly influences aspects such as metabolism, cardiovascular health, the immune system, various cognitive and hormonal functions and, of course, sleep - directly affecting its quality and quantity, as well as our attention span during the day. This last factor is extremely important for a functioning body, and its link to the circadian rhythm is inherent. As Dr. Leonor Dias, an internist with specific training in Neurology, explains, "we all have a normal rhythm between sleep and wakefulness, and this varies from person to person, being regulated by internal and external factors. There are structures in the brain that regulate this transition and they are located in the hypothalamus, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Hormones such as melatonin and cortisol directly influence this rhythm. As far as external factors are concerned, we can name the environment, the pace of work, age and exposure to sunlight," she says. Our sleep rhythm is not the same throughout our lives, which is why teenagers tend to go to bed later and wake up later, while adults and the elderly follow the maxim "early to bed, early to rise." Most people have an intermediate rhythm, but others tend to lean towards one side of the spectrum or the other. The famous "night owls" have what is called a "phase delay", while the "morning birds" have a "phase advance", explains Leonor Dias. There are also a number of other less common disorders such as rhythms that don't last 24 hours, like jet lag and shift work, which we'll talk about later.

It's true and well known that we don't all follow the same rhythm, but in a world that mostly works to a "nine to five" timetable, there's not much choice but to follow it too. Therefore, there are some measures that can be taken to try to adapt or preserve the circadian rhythm, mainly linked to sleep. "The first thing is to regulate exposure to sunlight. People who tend to wake up later and fall asleep later have a later type of melatonin, and this is a hormone that is highly sensitive to light. That's why exposure to light from cell phones at night also interferes with sleep and delays the production of the hormone. If we avoid exposure to light at night and increase it in the morning, we can slowly manage to change the time we go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier too," emphasizes Leonor Dias. The doctor also adds that although the result is not immediate, over time the difference will be noticeable. There are other behavioral cues that can help maintain a balanced rhythm, such as maintaining a consistent sleep routine (ideally including weekends), exercising, and also taking a bath or drinking coffee. Caffeine works as a psychoactive compound, which blocks receptors in the brain called "adenosine receptors", stimulating activity in the nervous system - which is why so many people go through life saying "I'll get back to you after I've had my coffee", and why that colleague won't answer our emails or even start a conversation before a miraculous shot of caffeine. However, it is worth mentioning that coffee can have unwanted effects, such as increased heart rate or tremors. In the event of not being able to cut out this addiction completely, one should try to avoid it after three or four in the afternoon, so as not to interfere with sleep, recommends Leonor Dias.

As far as the famous "sleeping pills" are concerned, they can be indicated, but only after careful analysis, explains the neurologist: "They are only recommended for a short period of time, and when we are talking about chronic insomnia, the recommended therapy will even be cognitive-behavioral, because the drugs have many side effects that can also affect the cognitive part. Most insomnia ends up having a lot to do with anxiety or personality, so there always has to be a global assessment." In addition, we should make sure that by using drugs we are not "covering up" an underlying problem: "If you have insomnia and can't sleep because you have restless legs syndrome, then you should treat the restless legs instead of taking pills."

Being a "morning bird" doesn't necessarily mean being a healthier person. There are studies that indicate that later rhythms are linked to a propensity for cardiovascular problems. However, the explanation for this may just be behavioral, as these people may have a more active social life. Although early risers are not necessarily healthier people, they end up benefiting because "the way society is organized will 'benefit' people who wake up earlier." Schedules that are not adapted to circadian rhythms can affect performance, says the expert, stating that "when a job is not adapted to our rhythm, it can cause problems. And this happens more often in people with later sleep rhythms. Our social structure is adapted to early or intermediate rhythms, and having a job that starts at eight in the morning for someone who tends to wake up only at ten could cause them to sleep an insufficient number of hours, which will lead to insomnia, non-restorative sleep or excessive daytime sleepiness. However, the opposite is also possible, and even more significant when it comes to social life, since a person who has a habit of going to bed early could be excluded in this field."

Believing that all workers can maintain maximum productivity by adhering to the conventional working hours of 9 to 5 is a misconception. As we've seen, different circadian rhythms imply different working habits. Some people work better early in the morning and others can't stand being awake when the birds are still chirping - and there's nothing wrong with that. If there's one stereotype we urgently need to abandon, it's that workers who start and end their day earlier are, as a result, more productive. In an ideal world, every worker would have a schedule adapted to their circadian rhythm in order to maximize their efficiency - but that would probably only be a utopian wish and the dream of every human resources professional. Although many companies are now more flexible when it comes to working hours (perhaps thanks to the lessons of the pandemic), it will be difficult to see this change implemented. As employees, we want to perform excellently at all hours of the day, but it is crucial to realize that this is an unrealistic expectation and, as such, organizing our tasks according to our individual rhythm will be the best strategy to consider. There is a huge amount of research into this and, as described in The Ideal Work Schedule, as Determined by Circadian Rhythms, by Christopher M. Barnes, the most important tasks should be carried out when we are at peak alertness, and the less important ones should be saved for periods of lower energy, such as the early hours of the morning, after lunch (during the famous "slump" after the meal). Spending the morning answering emails and leaving the more challenging tasks until after lunch is not a recommended approach, as it takes up one of the periods where attention is greatest with a task that will be more automatic and therefore suitable for times of lower energy. What's more, this can be a good time to explore more creative parts of the job and come up with out-of-the-box ideas. Naps are also a good strategy to make the most of the natural cycle of this rhythm and there are several studies that show that they can increase workers' productivity. However, knowing the Portuguese reality, perhaps on this side of the Iberian Peninsula the "siesta" is not viewed positively. Lastly, and in one of the most challenging scenarios, comes shift work. Strategies for minimizing the disruption to the body's "clock" and mitigating potential negative effects follow the same logic as described above, since everything involves understanding the individual rhythm - this time adapted to the schedule in question however strange it may be - and exposure to light or caffeine will also be useful tools. However, sticking to the same shift would be ideal, as the variability of schedules can become really complicated, compromising not only the quality and quantity of sleep, but also cognitive or emotional aspects - and then the bad mood in the morning will no longer be alleviated by coffee.

Translated from the original on The Coming Back Issue, published September 2023. Full stories and credits on the print issue.

ArtworkMiguel Canhoto
Maria Inês Pinto By Maria Inês Pinto

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