Can’t Humans Live According to the Sun, Not the Clock, Like Other Creatures on Earth?

Abstract

Delayed sunrise time in winter makes it difficult to wake up and start the day at the usual wake-up time. Is it really normal to get up early and start the day long before sunrise during winter? All living things on Earth, except mankind, live according to sunrise and sunset. Diurnal animals usually initiate their activities at sunrise, and nocturnal animals generally start after sunset. Would not this pattern of humans, as a diurnal animal, that goes against the sunrise time, have an adverse effect on human life and health? Before humans developed electricity and artificial lighting, they generally began their daily routine when the sun rose. However, the availability of artificial lighting has created an environment wherein activities are possible even without sunlight. As a result, humans now live their daily lives according to the set time indicated by the clock, and not sunlight. In other words, even though there are variations in sunrise time between seasons, people live according to the standard time displaced by the clock. For example, humans still wake up at 6:00 AM when it is dark in the winter and get ready to go to school or work. Though this generally reflects the sunrise time, it does not take into account the seasonal changes associated with sunrise. For instance, the sunrise time in Seoul, South Korea, in 2021 is 5:11 AM and 7:43 AM in the summer and winter solstice, respectively, which is a difference of 2 h and 32 min. Since the sun rises earlier in summer and later in winter, people consider it natural that the sunlight shines in the bedroom much Can’t Humans Live According to the Sun, Not the Clock, Like Other Creatures on Earth?