Many people have difficulty in getting up in the morning. This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you work, you may say that you're "hot". That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak (顶峰). For some people the peak comes during the morning. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar words as: "Get up, John! You'll be late for work again!" The possible explanation for the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.
You can't change your energy cycle
but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you're sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. If so, staying up later than you want to may counteract your cycle in some way. If our energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a comfortable yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before.
