Chronotype
A chronotype is the behavioral manifestation of an underlying circadian rhythm's myriad of physical processes. A person's chronotype is the propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period. Eveningness (delayed sleep period; most active and alert in the evening) and morningness (advanced sleep period; most active and alert in the morning) are the two extremes with most individuals having some flexibility in the timing of their sleep period. However, across development there are changes in the propensity of the sleep period with pre-pubescent children preferring an advanced sleep period, adolescents preferring a delayed sleep period and many elderly preferring an advanced sleep period.
Humans are normally diurnal creatures that are active in the daytime. As with most other diurnal animals, human activity-rest patterns are endogenously regulated by biological clocks with a circadian (~24-hour) period. [1] Chronotypes have also been investigated in other species, such as fruit flies[2] and mice.[3]
- ^ Jiang, Yirun; Shi, Jiaming; Tai, Jun; Yan, Lily (2024). "Circadian Regulation in Diurnal Mammals: Neural Mechanisms and Implications in Translational Research". Biology. 13 (12): 958. doi:10.3390/biology13120958.
- ^ Zakharenko LP, Petrovskii DV, Putilov AA (21 June 2018). "Larks, owls, swifts, and woodcocks among fruit flies: differential responses of four heritable chronotypes to long and hot summer days". Nature and Science of Sleep. 10: 181–191. doi:10.2147/NSS.S168905. PMC 6016586. PMID 29950910.
- ^ Refinetti R, Wassmer T, Basu P, Cherukalady R, Pandey VK, Singaravel M, et al. (July 2016). "Variability of behavioral chronotypes of 16 mammalian species under controlled conditions". Physiology & Behavior. 161: 53–59. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.04.019. PMID 27090227.