Main content

Why Can't We All Be Morning People?

Night owl or early bird? Ella Al-Shamahi investigates why we are all different when it comes to sleep. Can we blame our sleeping habits on Neanderthal genes?

Are you at one with midnight, or up before sunrise? In this episode, Ella Al-Shamahi investigates when we naturally feel tired and awake, known as our chronotype. Our chronotype depends on our lifestyle, our environment, where we live, and is also influenced by our genes. In this episode, Ella Al-Shamahi uncovers fascinating research which suggests our chronotype can be traced back over 100,000 years ago, to when our early modern human ancestors interbred with Neanderthals. She speaks to geneticist Tony Capra how DNA from our Neanderthal ancestors may be influencing our present-day sleeping habits and shares her revelations with professional early riser and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1 Early Breakfast presenter Arielle Free.

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 May 2024 19:45

Broadcasts

  • Fri 2 Dec 2022 14:45
  • Thu 9 May 2024 21:45
  • Sun 12 May 2024 19:45

Featured in...

Podcast