Do you wake up on form every morning, wide awake and raring to go, or are you more of an evening person who hits snooze at every opportunity, but works productively into the evening hours?
A fairly recent study showed that a third of people in the UK are self-confessed night owls? Lots of people don’t really feel like catching the proverbial worm.
But what is it about these different chronotypes and why are you one type or the other?
Can you be both? And why does it even matter? Read on to find out.
There’s Actually a Genetic Reason for Our Sleeping Habits
According to research published in Nature Communications, 351 genes regulate your circadian rhythm, that is, your body’s internal clock. Before this research, we’ve been aware of only 24 of those genes. How many of those genes you carry determines which chronotype you are. The research revealed that 5% of the participants who carry most of those genes hit the sack about 25 minutes earlier than the 5% who carry the least. That means there are 351 reasons why you are either a lark or a night owl (the terminology often used to describe morning or evening people) Let’s explore some scientific insights into the characteristics of each.Early Risers
According to a BMJ study, the notion that getting up early is a key to productivity and success appears to be wrong. The study found that going to bed early and getting up early doesn’t necessarily make you wiser, wealthier, and healthier. The night-owl study participants were actually financially wealthier than their early-riser counterparts. However, another scientific paper found that early risers consume less alcohol and psychostimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine. So, in general, they might be a bit healthier. Morning people may also be in a generally better mood than evening people due to their good night’s rest and lack of stress related to meeting work expectations. A few more studies found that early birds are more persistent and cooperative than their nocturnal friends, and they score higher in terms of conscientiousness and agreeableness. It also seems that proactiveness is a trait of the morning chronotype.Night Owls
Night owls may be less persistent, cooperative, agreeable, proactive, and conscientious, and more susceptible to bad habits, such as smoking or drinking alcohol. They also score lower in terms of indecision and procrastination. However, they seem to be more intelligent, as per another interesting morningness-eveningness research. Now, there’s something to brag about to your morning-loving friends. According to a study on the time-of-day effects on problem-solving, evening people tend to be more creative in their non-optimal time of day. The same was found for their morning counterparts.Can You Modify Your Sleeping Pattern?
As per the research above, it seems you can’t really control whether you’re a morning or evening person. It’s all predetermined by your genes. But can you switch from one chronotype to the other? And should you try it all? Well, another research published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal found a correlation between night owls and poor mental health. The findings revealed that evening people are at an increased risk of depression, bipolar disorder, mood instability, lower happiness, and subjective loneliness. Many mental health issues have genetic roots, but you still might want to modify your sleeping pattern if you’re an evening person. You’ll maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, feel more energised throughout the day, and improve your overall health. Here are some of the things suggested that you can do to shift your natural chronotype:- Wake up at the same time every day – as early as you can.
- Soak up some vitamin D ideally from sunlight after waking up.
- Eat a nutrient-rich breakfast as soon as you get up.
- Don’t drink coffee until 11 AM.
- Eat lunch at the same time every day.
- Don’t eat anything after 7 PM.
- Go to bed at the same time every day – earlier than midnight.
Is One Better Than the Other?
As you’ve seen from those multiple studies above, both chronotypes have their advantages and disadvantages. We don’t think one is better than the other, as research seems to be pretty varied. However, being a morning person might have more benefits when it comes to your overall health and your typical workday. If your job requires clocking in early in the morning, you would feel better and be more productive as a morning person. Otherwise, you may not perform well at the job until your optimal time of day. Luckily, many employees now offer flexible work hours, so you may not need to fight your natural chronotype to meet work expectations.Conclusion
Whether you get up with the first ray of sunlight or you become more alert and energised later in the day, you have mostly your genes to thank. Here at HMN24 we are all about optimising opportunities and making the most of our waking and sleeping hours. Whatever chronotype you fall under we’re here to help you do that.Blog posts
The First 7 Minutes After Waking: Why They Matter More Than You Think
Modern neuroscience confirms what ancient traditions have practised for millennia: the first few minutes after you wake up are biologically powerful.
Your brain doesn’t flick on like a light switch. It transitions, slowly and delicately, through a cascade of brainwave states:
Delta → Theta → Alpha → Beta
These transitions reflect the shift from deep sleep (delta), through drowsiness and subconscious processing (theta), into relaxed awareness (alpha), and eventually into full alertness (beta).
Gamma, the fastest and most subtle of the brainwave frequencies, is typically associated with heightened cognitive processing, insight, and peak states of consciousness. While not dominant in the first few minutes of waking, gamma activity can emerge later in the morning, or more rapidly in trained meditators, when the brain begins to integrate thought, emotion, and sensory input into a coherent experience.
This means that during the first 5 to 10 minutes of wakefulness, you’re not fully asleep, but you’re not fully awake either. You’re in a unique, mouldable neurobiological state that scientists call a neuroplastic window, where your brain is most open to new programming.
This is your most influential moment of the day.
What’s Happening in Your Brain
During this waking transition:
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The Default Mode Network (DMN), the brain’s internal narrator, begins to light up. It controls self-talk, emotional tone, and how we perceive ourselves and the world (Smallwood et al., 2021; Edlow et al., 2024).
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The Reticular Activating System (RAS) switches on. It decides what’s important by scanning your environment through the lens of your current emotional state (Negelspach et al., 2025).
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Your brain hemispheres synchronise, promoting coherence, clarity, and creative thinking (Wang et al., 2025).
Stressful first thoughts?
The RAS filters your day through threat detection.
Grateful first thoughts?
It scans for opportunity, healing, and connection.
Your first thoughts are not neutral. They set your emotional and cognitive trajectory for the entire day (Yadav & Purushotham, 2025; Devaney et al., 2021).
You’re Not Just a Mind in a Body
You are an electromagnetic system living in a connected field of energy. Research now supports what mystics, monks, and performance experts have known for decades:
Your thoughts become biology. Your biology becomes behaviour. Your behaviour becomes your future.
When your intention (mental clarity) aligns with an elevated emotion (like awe, gratitude, or joy), you begin to create physiological coherence, a synchronised state between your brain, heart, and nervous system (Ahn et al., 2021; Bukkieva et al., 2022).
In this state:
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Synaptic pathways rewire
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Your immune system balances
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Emotional resilience strengthens
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Gene expression can shift
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Your nervous system "memorises" a new baseline (Valenta et al., 2025; Titone et al., 2023)
Your 7-Minute Morning Protocol
You don’t need technology. You don’t need a perfect routine.
You just need awareness and intention.
Here is a practical protocol, backed by neuroscience, to help you rewire your mind and body from the moment you wake up:
Step-by-Step 7-Minute Morning Protocol
You don’t need technology. You don’t need a perfect routine.
You need awareness and intention.
The first few minutes after waking are a powerful biological window—a period of heightened neuroplasticity and emotional influence. What you do in this time shapes how your nervous system responds to the world for the rest of the day.
Here’s a practical step-by-step protocol to guide those first moments with intention:
1. Wake Gently
Let your body come to naturally. Avoid harsh alarms that jolt your system into a stress response. Give yourself permission to rise slowly, without urgency.
2. Avoid Your Phone
Reaching for your phone immediately forces your brain into beta waves (high-alert mode), disrupting the slower, more programmable states of theta and alpha. Stay in the softness of waking. Let your internal world settle before external stimuli intrude.
3. Place Your Hand on Your Heart
This simple act grounds you. It activates the vagus nerve, supporting emotional regulation and heart-brain coherence. Let your attention settle into your body.
4. Breathe Slowly and Deeply
Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, exhale through the mouth for 6. Repeat for 3 to 4 minutes. This breathing pattern supports parasympathetic activation—bringing calm, focus, and internal alignment.
5. Cultivate an Elevated Emotional State
Bring to mind someone or something you deeply love. Recall a moment of awe, joy, or deep gratitude. Smile gently. Let your body feel calm, safe, and expansive. This is not about performance—it’s about coherence.
6. Speak Like Your Future Self
Now that your system is receptive, introduce affirmations—spoken internally or aloud—as your future self would speak them. Use intentional, emotionally resonant language.
Here are some modern, grounded affirmations to guide you:
Personal Leadership & Direction
Affirmations that reinforce clarity, self-trust, and inner authority:
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“I lead my life with clarity and calm direction.”
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“I respond with purpose, not pressure.”
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“I honour progress over perfection today.”
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“I am becoming the version of me I respect.”
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“I trust my process. I’m already aligned.”
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“I am exactly where I need to be to take the next step.”
Resilience & Adaptability
Affirmations that support emotional flexibility and grounded strength:
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“Whatever arises, I meet it with presence and capacity.”
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“I am wired for change and built for resilience.”
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“Challenge sharpens me. I stay grounded in motion.”
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“I move from centre, not from stress.”
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“My nervous system is calm, and my mind is clear.”
Focus & Intentional Action
Affirmations that support mental clarity, focus, and productive intention:
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“Today I move with direction, not distraction.”
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“I choose energy that matches my intention.”
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“I prioritise what matters. The rest can wait.”
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“Peace is my default. Focus is my return point.”
Gratitude & Emotional Coherence
Affirmations that promote emotional alignment and heart-brain synchrony:
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“This day is a gift. I meet it with quiet strength.”
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“I feel supported, resourced, and ready.”
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“My heart leads. My body follows. My mind aligns.”
Each of these is a message to your nervous system, spoken as if the future is already embodied. Use them in stillness. Speak them with emotion. Let your physiology anchor the future you’re rehearsing.
7. Visualise Your Desired Reality
Now, visualise your ideal day, state, or outcome, not as a hope, but as if it has already occurred. Let it play in your mind’s eye with detail and emotional texture. This isn’t wishing. It’s rehearsing coherence.
Why It Works
This process works because it aligns with your biology:
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Neuroplasticity is at its peak during transitional states, especially when paired with strong emotions and repetition (Chen et al., 2025).
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The Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters your environment through the emotional lens you set at waking (Devaney et al., 2021).
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Coherence between heart and brain enhances clarity, memory, and immune response (Mueller et al., 2021; Jespersen et al., 2024).
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Repeating these patterns daily helps your nervous system establish them as a new baseline (Dennison, 2024; Ma et al., 2023).
Final Thoughts
The first seven minutes of your day are not a luxury. They are leverage.
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Coherence is the signal.
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Intention is the vector.
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Emotion is the charge.
So tomorrow morning, don’t scroll. Don’t rehearse stress.
Instead, tune your frequency.
Let your thoughts direct your biology. Let your body believe before your mind begins to doubt.
Your brain is listening.
Your cells are listening.
The field is listening.
Train it. Shape it. Repeat it.
References
Aggarwal, A. (2025). Brain connectivity using EEG data. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.26.634935
Ahn, J., Lee, D., Namkoong, K., & Jung, Y. (2021). Altered functional connectivity of the salience network in problematic smartphone users. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.636730
Bukkieva, T., Pospelova, M., Efimtsev, A., Fionik, O., Alekseeva, T., Samochernych, K., & Shevtsov, M. (2022). Functional network connectivity reveals the brain functional alterations in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(3), 617. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11030617
Chen, J., Lewis, L., Coursey, S., Catana, C., Polimeni, J., Fan, J., & Rosen, B. (2025). Simultaneous EEG-PET-MRI identifies temporally coupled, spatially structured hemodynamic and metabolic dynamics across wakefulness and NREM sleep. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.17.633689
Devaney, K., Levin, E., Tripathi, V., Higgins, J., Lazar, S., & Somers, D. (2021). Attention and default mode network assessments of meditation experience during active cognition and rest. Brain Sciences, 11(5), 566. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050566
Dennison, P. (2024). The enigma of jhāna and implications for neuroscience, consciousness studies and research methodology. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/ncp25
Edlow, B., Olchanyi, M., Freeman, H., Li, J., Maffei, C., Snider, S., & Kinney, H. (2024). Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness. Science Translational Medicine, 16(745). https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adj4303
Hardikar, S., McKeown, B., Schaare, H., Wallace, R., Xu, T., Lauckner, M., & Smallwood, J. (2024). Macro-scale patterns in functional connectivity associated with ongoing thought patterns and dispositional traits. eLife, 13. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.93689
Jespersen, K., Stevner, A., Kringelbach, M., Someren, E., Vidaurre, D., & Vuust, P. (2024). Modelling of brain dynamics reveals reduced switching between brain states in insomnia disorder – a resting-state fMRI study. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.27.625644
Ma, M., Li, Y., Shao, Y., & Weng, X. (2023). Effect of total sleep deprivation on effective EEG connectivity for young males in resting-state networks in different eye states. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1204457
Mueller, J., Pritschet, L., Santander, T., Taylor, C., Grafton, S., Jacobs, E., & Carlson, J. (2021). Dynamic community detection reveals transient reorganization of functional brain networks across a female menstrual cycle. Network Neuroscience, 5(1), 125–144. https://doi.org/10.1162/netn_a_00169
Negelspach, D., Kennedy, K., Huskey, A., Cha, J., Alkozei, A., & Killgore, W. (2025). Mapping the neural basis of wake onset regularity and its effects on sleep quality and positive affect. Clocks & Sleep, 7(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010015
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