16. The Four Types of Sleep Schedules

   Erwin Schrödinger, a famous and successful Austrian physicist, made major contributions to the fields of quantum mechanics, color theory, and general relativity during his life. The weird part of this is that he was unable to make these contributions in the morning. Erwin is so determined to sleep in the morning that, once a major university called him and asked him if he could do a lecture that was schedule for early in the morning, he accepted it but he told them he would not work in the morning. Surprisingly the university agreed with what he said and changes his lecture to the afternoon. Scientists call people like Schrödinger of “owls” which are people who are more alert in the evenings and prefer to wake up late. This is one of two basic sleep schedules. The second sleep schedule is “larks,” people who prefer the early mornings. Scientists from Russia are proposing that there are currently four chronotypes, in other words, sleeping schedules. In addition to “owls” and “larks” there are also the people who feel energetic during both morning and afternoon, also those who feel sleepy all day long.

       The author of this article, Olga Khazan, did a very good job and had an excellent structure for his essay. Khazan’s purpose was to inform the reader about the new discovery that the Russian scientist made, which was the two new sleeping schedules. The author had a happy or smooth tone towards the essay it were as if he was entertained by his own writing and later article. That provided the reader with good feelings and encouragement to continue reading the essay. Khazan uses comparison throughout his essay; by first, comparing the “owls” with the “larks.” Secondly, comparing the energetic people with the sleepy people; third, comparing all four of the sleeping schedules. The resources used by the author are accurate and reliable. The results of the study made by the Personality and Individual Differences showed that 29 larks showed higher energy levels at 9 a.m. than at 9 p.m., that 44 owls, the opposite was true and they usually went to bed about two hours later than the larks. Both the sleepy and energetic people went to bed and woke relatively at the same time. The energetic people slept about a half-hour less than the other three groups, which is about 7.5 hours of sleep each night.

(not late)

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/the-four-types-of-sleep-schedules/382596/