Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You're So Tired [Hardcover]

Till Roenneberg (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 26, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0674065859 | ISBN-13: 978-0674065857 | Edition: Tra

Early birds and night owls are born, not made. Sleep patterns may be the most obvious manifestation of the highly individualized biological clocks we inherit, but these clocks also regulate bodily functions from digestion to hormone levels to cognition. Living at odds with our internal timepieces, Till Roenneberg shows, can make us chronically sleep deprived and more likely to smoke, gain weight, feel depressed, fall ill, and fail geometry. By understanding and respecting our internal time, we can live better.

Internal Time combines storytelling with accessible science tutorials to explain how our internal clocks work-for example, why morning classes are so unpopular and why "lazy" adolescents are wise to avoid them. We learn why the constant twilight of our largely indoor lives makes us dependent on alarm clocks and tired, and why social demands and work schedules lead to a social jet lag that compromises our daily functioning.

Many of the factors that make us early or late "chronotypes" are beyond our control, but that doesn't make us powerless. Roenneberg recommends that the best way to sync our internal time with our external environment and feel better is to get more sunlight. Such simple steps as cycling to work and eating breakfast outside may be the tickets to a good night's sleep, better overall health, and less grouchiness in the morning.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Internal Time is an accessible, up-to-date overview of a subject that is important to all of us. With its remarkable depth and breadth of coverage, this book should be of interest to a wide and diverse audience. (Martin Zatz, Editor, journal Of Biological Rhythms )

This is a wonderful book from a gifted scientist, thinker and writer that provides the reader with the rare opportunity to discover something new about themselves and the world in which they live. (Russell G. Foster, University Of Oxford )

In Internal Time, Till Roenneberg, a chronobiologist at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, takes readers on a journey through this mysterious area of science. He explores why some people are larks and others owls, why jet lag can be so debilitating to travelers, and why teenagers struggle to get out of bed in the morning...Roenneberg is a knowledgeable guide, with a talent for making difficult concepts clear and convincing...This is a fascinating introduction to an important topic, which will appeal to anyone who wishes to delve deep into the world of chronobiology, or simply wonders why they struggle to get a good night's sleep. (Richard Wiseman New Scientist 20120428)

Time really is of the essence, says medical psychologist Till Roenneberg. By neglecting our body clocks--which rarely run in synchrony with the crazily cranked-up pace of modern life--we can develop "social jetlag," endangering our health and careers. Roenneberg has built his book on decades of research in everything from fungi and single-celled organisms to humans. In brilliantly minimalist terms, he explains the temporal mismatches behind teen exhaustion, early birds and night owls, and sleep phobia. (Nature 20120401)

Internal Time is a cautionary tale--actually a series of 24 tales, not coincidentally. Roenneberg ranges widely from the inner workings of biological rhythms to their social implications, illuminating each scientific tutorial with an anecdote inspired by clinical research...Written with grace and good humor, Internal Time is a serious work of science incorporating the latest research in chronobiology...[A] compelling volume. (A. Roger Ekirch Wall Street Journal 20120427)

Till Roenneberg's book is an engaging and informative layman's introduction to circadian science and its implications for contemporary humans...By integrating quality scientific exposition with well-rounded human vignettes, Roenneberg's book shows how sophisticated human behaviors arise partly from our embodied earthly nature. (Greg Murray Times Higher Education 20120503)

Internal Time made me think deeply about what it means to be a time-bound organism: about the ways we live in time and the ways time lives in us. It is, in an unusually literal sense, a book about what makes us tick. (Kathryn Schulz New York 20120429)

A brilliant book. (William Leith Telegraph 20120531)

Fascinating...Other books have dealt with our biological clocks, but Roenneberg focuses on the ways in which societal pressures seem to be leading us to disregard our clocks, at considerable cost. (Rob Dunn Wilson Quarterly 20120601)

About the Author

Till Roenneberg is Professor at the Institute of Medical Psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; Tra edition (March 26, 2012)
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 0674065859
• ISBN-13: 978-0674065857
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb: Fascinating, Thought-Provoking, & Accessible Look At Why We're Asleep At The Wheel & On Our Feet, And Can't Sleep In Bed July 7, 2012

By Michael Hallisey VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, I am not a subject matter expert in the realm of "chronobiology". But what Ronneberg describes in this short and very readable introduction to our internal body clocks was my life for the last third of my 30-year military career. As a result, while I can't recommend the book from the researcher angle, I can highly recommend the book from the subject angle. In short, I'm a fan and HIGHLY recommend this book.

Bottom line, Ronneberg's thesis is this: our body clock(s) is(are) real, performs(perform) very important calibrating functions and messing with it(them) has very serious consequences. And from personal experience, I would have to agree. I violated pretty much every "rule" in his book and I wound up paying a very heavy price. Fortunately (though it didn't seem so at the time), mandatory retirement arrived and an inability to go back to work in a second career provided an opportunity to get my clock(s) resynchronized (though not having yet read the book, I had no idea what I was doing other than following what my body was telling me I needed to do).

So what did I do wrong? Well, my work generally entailed long hours in a windowless, fluorescent-lighted, office (no connection with the natural light/dark cycle); too-often, middle-of-the-night phone calls (interrupted sleep cycles); frequent trips across up to 8-10 timezones where I was expected to be at work "bright & early" the day after travelling (unending two-way jet lag); and meetings/events at all hours of the day lasting anywhere from one hour to all day ("social jet lag").... I am (hopefully) coming out of a several-year severe, debilitating downturn where my lack of synchronized, restorative sleep was either the root cause of or a contributing factor to a health/fitness level that had me very close to a stroke (as well as manifested in a number of yet-to-be explained body- & system-wide ailments). So severe was the downturn that I was housebound for a very long time with chronic fatigue, chronic pain, inability to drive, inability to focus and frame thoughts for long stretches, an inability to sleep, and a feeling that if something didn't get better soon I was going to go mad.

I've already given away some of the topics covered and I'd rather not spoil any more of the read. Instead, let me make a short comment about the presentation and leave it there. Ronneberg opens each of the 20-odd chapters with a story served up to illustrate the theme of the chapter. Then he explains the story and introduces us to the theme and the science behind it. And he does so in a very readable style (kudos to either the translator and/or Ronneberg).

Absolutely fascinating stuff.

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P.S. With regard to Mr. Thomas and his 1-star review.... I'm sorry the book is not yet available on Kindle. But why are you punishing the author and his content here? This review forum should be about the book, not about your inability to get it in the format you desired. Do, please, punish the publisher, but there's no reason to punish the author here. I hope you clicked the link "I'd like to read this book on Kindle" and if you don't want to wait until it is or purchase the physical book to take along on your travels, get it from the library and read it in-between trips. I'm sure you'll see it is every bit the 5-star book I believe it to be. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We (society) should all take this subject more seriously September 8, 2012

By Lizil

Format:Hardcover

I don't have a lot to add, except this has helped me understand some of why I have been at odds with sleeping norms my whole life & helped me not
feel guilty about being different from said norms. (especially saying "No I can't drive now, I'm too tired. . .")

Mostly I wanted to balance the 1 star review, especially since this book IS available on Kindle now.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Internal Time September 11, 2012

By Weedwoman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Remarkable book. This author keeps me thinking and learning all the way through. Several in my family have enjoyed part of it as well. They are waiting for me to finish so they can have a turn. Compelling reading for sure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've ever read February 25, 2013

By AngliGreek

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author takes scientific studies and data, and makes them highly accessible. He transforms their results into clever postmodern parables about how we live our lives, to show why so many of us are out of sync with the itinerary of our minds and bodies. He looks at what makes some folks 'morning' people and others 'night' people; why and how we sleep; how our internal time clocks affect the degree to which we experience pain, when we feel like eating or being intimate; and why many of us are barely making it through our day jobs.

Roenneberg also tackles the unreasonable expectations of our culture, what really happens to us when we travel, and how people and animals respond to changes like Daylight Savings Time. The book was so fascinating, I couldn't put it down!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well written December 20, 2012

By Vikrum Sequeira

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw a link to this book in a science blog and ordered it. It is a fascinating read - the author illustrates his points about different chronotypes with stories of people's sleep patterns. There is a scientific basis for morning people and night people. And not surprisingly, the factors that go into a person's chronotype are complex and range from genetics to season to stress levels to a person's age. One part I found particularly interesting was the author's examination of the fact that we live in a world of (ideally) 8 hours of continuous sleep followed by 16 hours of being continuously awake. The author shows how this crono-phenomenon is the result of industrialization, electricity, and the modern work force; this has not been the norm for most of our species' existence. I also enjoyed some of the descriptions of different sleep experiments. One of the better books out there on sleep, cronotypes, and our relationship to sleep/time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tick Tock December 3, 2012

By Mike Mistarz

Format:Hardcover

Tick-Tock
Internal Time by Till Roennberg is a book about an issue that I have had issues with in the past and that is insomnia. Roennberg explains this idea of social jetlag, which tells us that our sleeping patterns are not solely responsible for our laziness and poor critical thinking. In fact, Roennberg tries to convince his readers that our laziness and poor crticial thinking are a result of a disconnect between our three social clocks. Roennberg argues that these three social clocks determine some of our everyday behaviors and he supports this argument by presenting his research. His method of presenting his reserach proved to be very effective because his explanations are structured and organized. If I had to rate this novel from 1 to 5, I would give this book a rating of 4.5 because Roennberg's research and explanations are organized throughout the entire novel. Internal Time is a great informational book about our biological clock and how it is affected by our everyday life.
Our three social clocks are suprisingly the reason for our laziness and poor critical thinking. If you put yourself in the shoes of the typical college parent, you would want your child to get atleast eight hours of sleep because you believe that amount of sleep will allow your child to perform at his or her highest level. Roennberg argues against this stereotype in this book by explaining the research he has done on many different people, including college students. The most important research, provided by Roennberg, which proves that our social clocks are responsible for our laziness and poor critical thinking was the research done on the life of a pilot.... This pilot traveled from country to country and his biological clock was forced to adjust to the social clock of the area he was in because he had to sleep. If he didn't sleep in that time zone, he would not be prepared to fly the plane back to his hometown. Sleeping in another country's time zone had many effects on the biological clock of the pilot. If the time in the other country is different than the time of the pilot's hometown, that means that the pilot's biological clock has to adjust to the social clock of the country. Not only did pilot have to adjust to the social clock, but also to the sun clock of the country. The sun sets and rises at different times in different countries and that that forces the pilot's biological clock to adjust again. Both these adjustments take a toll on the pilot's biological clock, and the end result can be a bit ugly for the pilot. The pilot can not only experience insomnia, but he or she may also feel awfully lazy and may struggle thinking critically. Roennberg also discussed how our body knows when we should sleep. Roennberg states that "We have already covered the main factors that determine when we fall asleep : internal timing and the amount of sleep pressure we have built up over the time we are awake" (Roennberg, 92). Our biological clock is supposed to know when to sleep and if it cannot find consistency, the end result is laziness and poor critical thinking. Roennberg effectively explains this idea of social jet lag and how it affects our everyday life.
Till Roennberg did a great job supporting his argument of social jet lag in this book. Roennberg did research on animals and humans to prove his point effectively. His arguments appealed to logos because he provided charts, graphs, and statistics to prove all of the major points being made. Roennberg's tone throughout the entire novel was very montone because the book is informative and does not appeal to the reader's emotions. One great example that displays Roennberg's tone is when he discussuses one of his subject's and how his "activity starts an hour later every day, falling on an invsible oblique line tilted to the right" (Roennberg, 52). Roennberg's tone is very straightforward and his writing does not have to be interpreted by the reader at all. The organization of book was also very effective because all topics were covered in a certain order. There were 8 chapters in this book and they all had their own topic to cover. Each new topic presented had a sufficient amount of supporting evidence to reinforce Roennberg's thesis. Topics that were covered in previous would help the reader fully understand the topics covered in later chapters. Roennberg spent the first couple chapters explaining the different clocks. In order to understand the biological clock, you would have to fully understand the sun clock and the social clock. Roennberg helps the reader understand the clocks by clearly distinguishing the similarites and differences between them. Once Roennberg finished explaining the different clocks, he then explains his idea of social jet lag. When Roennberg first mentioned the idea of social jet lag, the idea seemed very hazy and confusing. Once he began explaining his research and what the research proved, the idea of social jet lag seemed very plausible. Despite all of his great research, Roennberg's argument that social jet lag was the cause of laziness was a bit weak because he never really appealed to the counterargument. The intended audience of this novel is people who are seeking answers, not just one answer. If Roennberg were to mention other reasons why we are lazy and proved why his reason was better, his argument would have been more sound. Despite that one flaw, Internal Time by Till Roennberg is still a great book and reading it is a must.
In conclusion, Internal Time is a book that should be read by anyone who is curious about their insomnia. This book has revered by professors at the University of Oxford and by famous journal editors, making it more credible than ever. Roennberg used a combination of statistics and first-hand research to prove his argument effectively. If Roennberg were to have mentioned other reasons for insomnia and proved them wrong, his argument would have been even stronger. That one minor adjustment would have increased my rating for this book to a five out of five. Besides that one minor flaw, Internal Time by Till Roennberg is still a great informational book about our social jet lag. Read more ›