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I've been a morning person and then a night owl, and then a morning person, and then a night owl, all depending on the demands that life, work and family threw at me. I stopped believing in this night/morning person thing. We just adapt to what we choose, or what we have to do. Or we choose not to adapt, and then we say we are the other type. (yes, in my case; yes, anecdotal etc)

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What I have read somewhere a long time ago, is that the chronotypes are actually functions of the inner clock in so much as that you either have an inner clock of a 23 hours day or a 25 hours day. (Compare also to leap year etc)

So this then makes you somebody who tends to wake up earlier each day or later, depending on your inner clock.

I found that explanation more convincing. I am with you, we haven't figured it out yet. But I would say, there is something to it.

In college I fell into a 26-ish hour sleep schedule for awhile (which meant skipping some classes when my schedule rotated around to sleeping in the middle of the day). I probably had diagnosable Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder at some points of my life, and used to need 9-10 hours of sleep in High School and College. Never been a morning person. Jet lag to Europe is inevitably completely brutal to my system.

Be happy that you can adapt. It isn't a choice for me. I've struggled with this for 40 years.

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