Why is it so difficult to get up in the morning?

EVERYWHERE (Probably) – It is often the case that we find it a chore to get up in the morning. Many studies on the subject say that there are about as many reasons as there are studies. Among these are: not enough sleep, going to bed late, noise before and during, medical conditions, and a long etc. Have you ever wondered how Spanish children seem never to sleep (unless they’re adolescents, in which case they do so endlessly)? They’re up until all hours, usually shocking and astounding visitors, especially those from Northern countries, who put their children to bed very early. But have you also noticed they’re very rarely about in the heat of a summer’s afternoon? That’s because they’re very likely having a siesta (in my none-too-modest opinion, Spain’s best exports, after jamón serrano). (Note: I must get an article together on the subject of siestas; only I have one myself, practically every day…) But here are some more reasons you may have trouble yourself:

‘I’m not a morning person’

If you’re one of those who curse your alarm clock, you’re not necessarily lazy Chances are your biological clock out is of kilter. Our clock is controlled by a part of the brain that controls all the biological rhythms of the body. But, according to Jean Matheson, a specialist in sleep disorders at the Beth Medical Centre, it often happens that our default rhythms do not match the demands of work or school schedules. People who have a tendency to get ‘stuck between the sheets’ (pegarse a las sábanas) is a good old Spanish expression) have an internal clock that is programmed to get up and go to bed later, something with the scientific name of phasal delay.

It can be adjusted

Matheson says that it is possible to adjust a phasal delay, but a price must be paid: you’d have to give up sleeping in on weekends. “When you sleep in at weekends, you’re returning to the delayed phase,” he explains. This makes it all the more difficult to get up early on week days. “We can train ourselves,” he adds, “by setting 15 minutes earlier each day – and obeying its command, of course.

Exposure to artificial light at night can also contribute to the phasal delay. The brain is very sensitive to light and over-exposure to it before going to bed – e.g. computer screens, televisions or strong lighting, for instance – could very well deceive the brain into believing it is daytime.

Scientists at the University of California at Irvine recently discovered that our internal clocks are governed by a single amino-acid. Someday, says Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Professor of Pharmacology, this could lead to medication that controls the brain’s sleep cycle.