\n\t\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve lived like a lark for years \u2014 but my genes say I\u2019m a night owl. Could changing my routine really change my life?\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
I thought I was a morning person. I\u2019ve been up by 6am for the past five years. My conversation skills fade around 8pm; I can rarely keep my eyes open for the News at Ten, and I fall asleep during the children\u2019s bedtime at least twice a week.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just my life stage. In my early twenties, I\u2019d get up for good sunrises while travelling. At Glastonbury, I was back in my tent by midnight. Apart from my first year at university, when freedom kept me up till dawn, I have lived life as a lark.<\/p>\n
So when I had my DNA analysed by Stride, a health platform that tests your genetic blueprint, I was shocked to learn that by nature, I\u2019m a night owl<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stride is one of a new generation of companies offering internal health tracking so clients can optimise wellness and prevent disease. This summer, it will launch a membership service offering individualised health advice and tailored supplements. By analysing DNA, which remains static, and regularly checking blood, gut microbiome and biological age, clients will be able to track the improvement in their health.<\/p>\n Everyone doing the test will find out about their unique blueprint so they can tweak their lifestyle<\/a> to live in an optimum way in terms of energy and health for their body.<\/p>\n My DNA test reveals that I handle stress well because I metabolise dopamine quickly. However, I carry a variation in the MTHFR gene, which reduces how efficiently my body converts dietary folate by up to 70 per cent. After getting the result, I started taking a supplement and almost immediately found myself with more energy.<\/p>\n But it was my sleep result that really took me aback: how could I have been so wrong?<\/p>\n The genes that make me a naturally late sleeper<\/p>\n Bianca Van Aswegen, lead expert for Stride, explains that we each have a \u201cchronotype\u201d \u2013 our body\u2019s natural preference for being active at different times of day.<\/p>\n \u201cYour DNA results suggest an evening chronotype,\u201d she tells me. A mix of nine main genes all contribute to your chronotype, and the combination of variants within each gene suggests whether overall I\u2019m likely to feel more alert and focused early in the morning or later in the day. It turns out that I carry variations of two key sleep genes called PER3 and PER2, which are strongly associated with staying up late.<\/p>\n \u201cThese genes are central to biological clock regulation,\u201d Van Aswegen explains. The net result is that while I might be able to get away with less sleep, I\u2019m likely to be more prone to sleep disturbances.<\/p>\n She also tells me that three other genes affect how my brain responds to light and the sleep hormone melatonin, making me even more of an evening person.<\/p>\n If it all sounds like programming code, that\u2019s because it is: it\u2019s mind-blowing that we can decode our genetic information to discover not just disease risks, but also personality traits. And apparently, my lifelong lark habit goes against my genetic code, meaning I might be snoozing through prime alert hours. <\/p>\n I start getting up later \u2013 and feel less tired <\/p>\n I want to find out what happens if I follow nature\u2019s original intentions instead of habit and social conditioning. If I\u2019ve been fighting my chronotype all my life, maybe I\u2019ll discover a hidden genius?<\/p>\n \u201cLiving with an earlier schedule<\/a> doesn\u2019t mean your DNA is wrong; it just means you\u2019ve adapted.\u201d Van Aswegen explains. \u201cSocial and work demands often override natural rhythms; your DNA gives a tendency, not a destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n She suggests aligning my schedule to my natural rhythm by shifting demanding tasks later, as I may feel sharper in the afternoon or evening. \u201cAvoid early morning workouts as you might benefit more from exercising at midday or after work,\u201d she suggests. If I were trying to shift my circadian rhythms earlier, she\u2019d suggest using morning light (sun exposure) to help reset my clock<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the evening, she recommends the following: \u201cTry to avoid blue light and allow time to wind down naturally or make use of a magnesium glycinate or threonate supplement to relax muscles. Prioritise sleep hygiene by creating winding down routines and sticking to a consistent bedtime<\/a>. Your genetics suggest you may perform better later in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n With three young children who need dropping at school and nursery before nine am, lying in until mid-morning isn\u2019t an option. But instead of getting up between five and six am, I push it back to between seven and seven thirty.<\/p>\n In the evenings, rather than going to bed between nine and ten, I try to stay up until eleven pm.<\/p>\n On day one, staying in bed until 7.30am feels like a huge lie-in. I\u2019m awake as early as usual and lie in bed, trying to doze but feeling restless<\/a> to begin the day.<\/p>\n When my children wake, we have a cuddle before getting up and then a scramble to get into school on time.<\/p>\n I try working in the evening, but am so tired that I drift into sleep while typing. It\u2019s a strange sensation. I\u2019m hopeful I might have discovered the modern version of W B Yeats\u2019s automatic writing, but realise in the morning that there is no hidden work of brilliance buried in my subconscious.<\/p>\n Still, I carry on with the experiment. I prefer exercise later in the day rather than first thing. And, within three days, I start sleeping until 7am. On the downside, this does mean we\u2019re late into school one day, and my daughter asks me to make sure this doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n I\u2019m having mixed success with evenings: the invitation to sleep is such an enticing one that I fall asleep cuddling the children. I suspect the ingrained sleep deprivation of eight years of parenthood will take months, rather than a week, to catch up on, so I\u2019m not giving my experiment a fair chance.<\/p>\n Still, I notice that getting up later means I\u2019ve dropped a cup of sugary coffee in the morning \u2013 something I\u2019ve been trying to do for months with little success \u2013 and feel more alert and calmer when I\u2019m helping the children get ready for school.<\/p>\n What the children think of my lie-ins<\/p>\n \u201cNurture often has more impact than nature,\u201d Van Aswegen tells me. \u201cYou\u2019ll always have night owl tendencies, but your life experiences have shaped how you respond. Your genetics just show what your body naturally prefers.\u201d<\/p>\n