Good news for night owls: When you need sleep is determined not by laziness, but chronotype. Here’s what that means

Quick Summary:

That’s particularly true in light of society’s tendency toward what Walker called “competitive undersleeping,” or bragging about, say, awaking at dawn or only needing four hours of shut-eye.

What’s implied with that, he says, is that idea that “I’m so busy  and I’m so important, which is why I’m awake so much.” While such “genetic short sleepers” do exist, they are rare—rarer than the probability of being struck by lightning, says Walker.

There’s also the misunderstanding that when night owls stay up late and then wake up early, others assume that they must just need less sleep.

---

More Pictures

---

Read Quick SummarySave Time

or

Article Details

Author / Journalist: Beth Greenfield

Category: EconomyBusiness

Markets: United States

Topics: Editor's Picks Study Longevity Sleep Heart disease

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Negative

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-05-12 @ 23:59:00 (17 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: fortune.com

Language: English

Article Length: 631 words

Reading Time: 4 minutes read

Sentences: 5 lines

Sentence Length: 127 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © Fortune

News ID: 28647359

View Article Analysis

About Fortune

Main Topics: EconomyBusiness

Official Website: fortune.com

Update Frequency: 31 posts per day

Year Established: 1929

Headquarters: United States

News Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Coverage Areas: United States

Ownership: Independent Company

Publication Timezone: GMT +8:00

Content Availability: Worldwide

News Language: English

RSS Feed: Available (XML)

API Access: Available (JSON, REST)

Website Security: Secure (HTTPS)

Publisher ID: #95

Publisher Details

Frequently Asked Questions