Don’t you just hate getting up before 10 am?
You may feel frustrated after waking up to an annoying alarm clock just to make it to work on time. Some people need several alarms to wake them up while others only need one. Some people need coffee, and others don’t.
Waking up early in the morning is dreadful, especially if you have to go through such torture every day.
Fortunately, Oxford has good news.
The prestigious university supports starting work and school at 10 a.m., because waking up early can make people sick, stressed, and exhausted. Before the age of 55, your body’s circadian rhythm isn’t in sync with the usual 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours.
When you force your body to go against nature, you experience a serious threat to your happiness, mental state, and work performance. Lack of sleep may result in a variety of health conditions and problems, such as exhaustion, high blood pressure, and weight gain. Shifting companies’ operational hours will improve employee health conditions and company outlook.
Dr. Paul Kelley of Oxford University explains the necessity for a widespread change in average adult’s work schedule. He states, “This is a huge society issue…. Staff should start at 10 a.m. You don’t get back to the 9 a.m. starting point till 55.” He further explains, “It is hugely damaging on the body’s systems because you are affecting physical, emotional and performance systems in the body.”
According to Dr. Kelly, the heart and the liver follow natural patterns. Waking up early leads to shifts in these patterns, causing your body to suffer.
You should not change your 24-hour rhythm, because you are attuned to sunlight.
The effects of insufficient sleep are apparent in children as well as in adults. Experiments show that 10-year-olds have trouble focusing on academics before 8:30 a.m., 16-year-olds before 10 a.m., and university students before 11 a.m. Dr. Kelly believes adjusting the time frame of the school day would allow students’ grades to increase by ten percent. A former middle school teacher changed starting times from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and found an average grade increase of 19 percent.
Dr. Kelly says, “There are major societal problems that are being caused by [sleep-deprivation], but the opportunities are fantastic. We have an opportunity here to do something that would benefit millions of people on earth.”
To get the amount and quality of sleep you deserve, you should consider shifting your work schedule and beginning at 10 a.m. This way, you will be able to work efficiently, without sacrificing your health.
Aimee Harris-Newon, Psy.D., D.A.B.P.S., C.Ht