Nine steps to turn yourself into an early bird

AS A medical student I used to envy the owls, people who could stay up partying to the small hours. My wife, Clare, is one, and it’s very hard to drag her away from latenight events.

I, on the other hand, like to be in bed by 11pm, then wake up at around 7am, when I cheerfully drag Clare out of bed.

Whether you’re a lark or owl is partly down to age (we tend to get more larkish as we get older) and genes. Tests have shown that I have a number of ‘lark’ genes and now it seems those genes might be protecting my mental health. That, at least, was the conclusion of a recent study of 840,000 people by Harvard University, which found that those with genes that predispose them to getting up early had lower rates of depression. Another study, reported in the Mail, involving 450,000 Brits, found the same. It may be that because larks get up early we get far more exposure to morning light, which can improve mood. Or it could be that owls experience higher rates of depression because they’re struggling in a world where they are expected to get up at what, to them, is an ungodly hour.

So what can an owl do? Either find a way of life that allows you late lie-ins — or turn yourself into a lark. In a fascinating study from Monash University in Australia, owls did just that, and were able to get up happily two hours earlier. All it took was following these nine simple rules: 1. Wake up at 7am every day. 2. Get plenty of morning light. 3. Have an early breakfast. 4. Only exercise in the morning. 5. Avoid all caffeine after 4pm. 6. Avoid having a nap after 4pm. 7. Avoid bright lights during the evening. 8. Head to bed by 11pm. 9. Stick to this regimen for three weeks.