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196 Kate: I’d say I’m definitely a morning person. I love going to bed early and getting up early. Dan: OK, well that makes you a lark. People who are better in the morning are known as “larks”, after the famously early-rising birds. And people who are better at night are sometimes known as “owls” or “night-owls”, after the birds which tend to come out at night. Kate: That’s an interesting theory. How about you? Are you a morning or a night person? Dan: I’m definitely an owl. I go to bed very late and I love staying in late in the morning. I just don’t deal with daytime at all. Kate: Oh, so we’re complete opposites then. Dan: Yup. Kate: Well, apparently around half the world’s population are naturally co-ordinated to wake up early or late. It’s in our genetics or make-up, like our eye-colour or height. Dan: So this week’s question to you Kate is: on average how many hours do adults sleep each night? Is it: a) 6 and a half hours b) 7 and a half hours c) 8 and a half hours Kate: Well I think that the recommended amount of sleep is somewhere between seven and eight hours. But I’m sure that most people don’t get that amount, so I’m going to go for a, six and a half. Dan: OK, we’ll see if you’re right at the end of the programme. Kate: Now, a person’s natural rhythm of sleep is known as their body clock. This is what regulates what time you wake up and when you feel tired. Variations in your body’s temperature affect tiredness, so some people are naturally more alert or awake during the morning hours, and others are more productive late at night. Dan: Before we had electricity, our sleeping patterns were basically decided by the sun. We would get up at dawn, when the sun rises, and fall asleep at dusk, when the sun goes down. Kate: But now unfortunately the pressures of work and society mean that most of us don’t follow our natural body clocks or the rhythm of the sun, so we often don’t get enough sleep. Answer: 7 and a half hours.