Reset Your Inner Clock to Match His

by Julie Piotrowski

One compromise is to commit to a sex schedule. If that sounds appallingly unromantic, try lying in bed, sexually frustrated at midnight when your early-bird amor has crashed before you’ve undone your top button, or tussling with a lover who craves slow morning sex when all you want is to hit the gym before work.

Smolensky says about one in ten people are early birds, while two in ten are night owls. The rest of us fall somewhere in between.

“In couples where one is an early bird and one is the other type, they know it,” says Dr. Charmane Eastman, director of the Biological Rhythms Research Lab and professor of psychology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “But sometimes the rhythm differences actually work because it means that each person gets to have time alone.”

If you decide to try to re-set your body clock, you’ll need to be dedicated, she says. Night owls trying to morph into early risers should seek exposure to light earlier in the morning. Since the most intense light is outside, try waking up at the same time each day and getting outdoors as soon as possible.

Shifting early birds should avoid bright light in the morning. Aim for darkroom-level bedroom light, stay inside as long as possible, and wear dark sunglasses when finally venturing outdoors.