The writer and co-ordinator at the Al Jasra Cultural and Social Club, affiliated to the Ministry of Culture, Hanan Badie, in an interview with Gulf Times, raised the issue of co-relation between human biological clock with the over all wellbeing of an individual and productivity.
She argued professional commitment has long been associated with waking up early, as if arriving at the office in the early morning were a definitive sign of seriousness, discipline and productivity. But what if this system, to which we have grown accustomed over decades, does not align with our natural physiology? Could starting the workday early be a hidden cause of chronic fatigue, poor concentration and declining performance?
Almost a decade back, similar arguments were raised by researchers and academicians who put sleep and the imperativeness of body clock being in sync with work schedules in their research works. One researcher termed sleep as a “strategic resource.
In 2015, Dr Paul Kelley, a researcher specialising in sleep and biological rhythms at the University of Oxford, made a striking claim: he likened forcing employees to begin work before 10am to “torture”, highlighting the damaging effects of sleep deprivation on health and performance.
The statement sparked a broad debate on the relationship between work schedules and the human biological clock.
Speaking at the British Science Festival, Dr Kelley argued that the body clock shifts with age.
A 10-year-old fits comfortably into a nine-to-five day, he said, and so does an adult of about 55, but in between, “depending on your age, you really need to be starting around three hours later, which is entirely natural.”
He recommended that staff start at 10am, and suggested that children aged eight to 10 begin school no earlier than 8.30am, 16-year-olds at 10am and 18-year-olds at 11am.
The human body is governed by an internal system known as the biological clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Sleep patterns vary from person to person, and such differences are not necessarily a sign of laziness or a lack of discipline; they are often linked to genetics, age, lifestyle and exposure to light. Imposing a uniform start time may therefore not suit everyone, especially when employees must wake up before they have had enough sleep simply to arrive on time.
Researchers describe these natural differences as chronotypes: some people, known as “larks”, wake and go to bed early, while “owls” wake later and stay up late.
Even so, the average teenager sleeps and wakes later than younger children or older adults.
The significance of Kelley’s statement is that it points to a problem beyond morning drowsiness. “Sleep is not a luxury to be sacrificed for work; it is a fundamental necessity for physical and mental health,” Badie explained.
When early rising makes sleep loss a recurring problem, the ability to focus and pay attention may decline, while fatigue and irritability increase. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of health problems, including metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease.
“Ultimately, this perspective raises a question about the very concept of productivity: do we want an employee who arrives at their desk as early as possible, or one who is healthy, clear-minded and truly able to contribute effectively?” she asked.
Perhaps the core of the problem lies in a culture that treats exhaustion as the natural price of success. Scientific evidence suggests that adequate sleep is not an obstacle to achievement but one of its essential prerequisites.
