The pandemic has changed sleeping patterns. It might be a good thing


The genetic traits of a person’s sleep combine to create a chronotype. An “early chronotype” is essentially a morning person, eager to wake up to the sun and go to bed early, while a “late chronotype” wants to stay awake until the end of the night and wake up later. People’s hours of sleep vary widely: A study found that in the United States, they vary by almost 10 hours. This means that a 9am start time could be a very different biological reality for some workers. “If you’re an early chronotype, it could be around the middle of your day,” says Vetter. But for someone else, 9 a.m. could still be their biological night.

For example, a recent police study in Quebec by researchers from the Netherlands and Canada showed that people with different chronotypes had divergent reactions to work in the morning, evening and night. The first chronotypes adapted better to day shifts and slept more generally when they had early schedules. Conversely, officers who were late chronotypes lost sleep when they needed to arrive early, but slept more hours overall than their early risers when they had later shifts.

Diane Boivin, professor of psychiatry at McGill University and co-author of the study, says these results show that a person’s chronotype is strongly influenced by genetics. But, she points out, there’s a limit to the role genes can play, even for people who like to burn midnight oil. “Even though you can find individuals who are the extreme evening type and even describe themselves as night owls, we are never night owls to the point of becoming nocturnal animals,” she says. For the roughly 25 percent of America’s workforce who work shifts – jobs like nursing, manufacturing or hospitality – the passage to the cemetery will likely be difficult. “It’s a minority of workers who adapt,” says Boivin.

But for jobs that once required a more typical 9 to 5, maybe the workplace can adapt. Boivin says the growth of telecommuting, especially during the pandemic, could help give workers more choice of hours. She is already experiencing this. Bovin runs the Center for the Study and Treatment of Circadian Rhythms at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and his lab offers flexible hours for students and interns. If everyone has to be in the lab from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to promote teamwork, they are free to enter earlier or work later. “In the ideal world, we would try to match a work schedule to an individual’s biological model, but that’s not always doable. There have to be moments of interaction, so you have to set limits, ”says Boivin. (Even for his chronotype-sensitive lab, planning around sleep cycles isn’t always possible. Some experiments need to be monitored 24 hours a day, which means night shifts.)

Chris Barnes, a professor at the University of Washington who studies how sleep affects workers, explains that for flexible hours to work, companies must also make cultural changes to the way they treat sleep. “There are stereotypes around working hours,” he says. His research suggests that people who choose to start their day earlier are seen to be more productive and conscientious than their night owl counterparts. If we do not change these assumptions, employees will not be willing to take advantage of solutions that will allow them to start work later. And Boivin points out that even in a workplace that allows flexible hours, some workers may prioritize other demands, like time spent with their families, over their sleep needs.

Barnes suggests that cabins or nap rooms could also help employees rest. “Rather than seeing a nap at work as laziness, we should rather Think of it as an investment, “he says. Fifteen minutes of downtime could help people be more creative, efficient and productive, but people need to be comfortable with that option. Barnes says business leaders should be seen using it. nap rooms and that they should talk about the importance of being well rested at work. Instead of sending emails at 2 a.m. and waiting for an immediate response – or instead of congratulating employees who are seen in the office very early or who work late – managers should reiterate that sleep is a priority.

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