Rhonda Patrick· PhD
Dr. Panda explains how humans are diurnal and crepuscular, so we are alert in the morning and evening and a little sleepy in the afternoon.
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The headline is broadly defensible, but the qualifications matter. Effect sizes vary by population, the strongest claims rest on shorter trials, and credible voices push back on how it's typically framed.
Dr. Panda explains how humans are diurnal and crepuscular, so we are alert in the morning and evening and a little sleepy in the afternoon.
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And, in fact, we are designed to be napping because we humans are not strictly diurnal. We are crepuscular. So that means we are more alert in the morning and evening and little less alert right after lunch. Our internal sleep pressure actually goes up physiologically right after lunch.
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