How the Circadian System in Your Brain Determines If You’re an Early Bird or Night Owl

In an eye opening TED-Ed lesson written by Jamie Zeitzer,Ph.D of Stanford University and animated by Avi Ofer, narrator Alexandra Panzer explains how the circadian system within the human brain determines sleep cycles and ponders whether or not a sleep pattern can be changed.

…How many people are truly night owls or early birds? And are our natural sleep schedules predetermined at birth, or can we change them? The truth is there’s a lot of space between these extremes, and most people fall somewhere in the middle. These behaviors are determined by our circadian system…

Changing Sleep Schedule
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.