In college it seems like nearly everyone is a night owl- someone who thrives at dusk but feels like they were hit by a train if they try to wake up before 10 a.m. However, there are morning people out there, and it seems like everyone is jealous of their ability to function well at the start of the day.
These different sleeping cycles are the result of how a person’s circadian rhythm, or biological clock, has developed.
Typically, night owls fill the ranks of the college world because students train their circadian rhythm to fit around their social clock. According to psychologytoday.com, the social clock is a time schedule that includes when you wake up, eat, work, go to class, make appointments, and socialize. College schedules have more activities available to fill students’ days, and events like chapter or club meetings typically start late- much later than high school activities did. This is how, so easily, students have gone from going to bed at 10 p.m. in high school to 2 a.m. in college. As a result, while it was normal to wake up at 6 a.m. in high school, now it’s a struggle to make it to the dreaded 8:30 a.m. classes.             
Although it may be slightly annoying to maintain the night owl circadian rhythm through college when things arise where you have to wake up early, the late night biological clock still fits comfortably with your schedule. However, when you’re forced to find a “real person job” that forces you to set your alarm clock for 6 a.m. again, your social clock will have changed and, after a couple of painful weeks, your circadian rhythm will adapt to your new schedule. This unfortunately isn’t true for the few students who have been cursed with the natural circadian rhythm of a night owl.             
With perseverance, however, there is hope for those afflicted with a circadian rhythm centered on the night. Each night, you can begin to adjust your sleep cycle by about 10 to 20 minutes, gradually falling asleep earlier, which in turn allows you to wake up earlier. While readapting, resist the temptation to take medication to force yourself to sleep or cutting yourself short a few hours of sleep in order to become tired earlier. Your circadian rhythm needs consistency and both of these methods can hinder your path to becoming a morning person.             
You may be wondering why it’s even necessary to give up your 3 a.m. bedtime just so you can wake up a little earlier. I was also reluctant to let go of my beloved night schedule as well until I saw what my habit was doing to me. According to Jennifer Welsh’s livescience.com article, scientists conducted a study to observe how happy morning people were compared to night people. Morning people felt both happier and healthier than night people. A Psychology Today article also claims that night owls have both higher blood pressure and a more irregular heartbeat than morning people, as well as having overall more intense stress levels.             
Aside from the physiological effects, morning people claim that waking up early makes them feel different in a good way.             
“There’s something about getting up early that makes you feel like you have so much more time in the day to get things done. You just feel more relaxed,” sophomore Jessica Brewer said.