Dr. Paul Kelley, a leading researcher at Oxford University, has recently discovered that the most common form of modern day torture is actually having to wake up and start work before 10 o’clock in the morning, something that affects an enormous amount of us.
Our bodies run on biological timers, known as our Circadian Rhythm. This is our body clock if you like, and it is a genetically pre-programmed cycle which regulates our brain activity, energy levels, hormone production and perception of time. By starting work before 10 am every day, we are scientifically torturing ourselves through unnaturally interfering with our Circadian Rhythm, thus throwing many aspects of our health out of balance.
Kelley says:
“We cannot change our 24-hour rhythms. You cannot learn to get up at a certain time…your liver and your heart have different patterns and you’re asking them to shift two or three hours.”
How Did This Happen?
Introduced in the early 20th century, the 8 hour working day was designed around the maximisation of 24/7 factory productivity, not taking into account the natural human body clock. However, our ancient bodies evolved around the daily cycle of sunlight, not these modern day strategies of business and commerce! Dr Paul Kelley, speaking at the British Science Festival says:
“We’ve got a sleep deprived society” and “This is an international issue. Everybody is suffering and they don’t have to.”
His idea was to move the start time of a school in Britain from 8.30 am to 10.00 am. Upon testing this theory at a chosen school, after a certain amount of time and a further wave of exams, he wasn’t surprised to see that the attendance levels had improved along with the general productivity of the school – and most importantly the students’ grades were up drastically.
If we were to transfer this idea into other sectors of society just think of the improvements. Instead of overtired, overworked, coffee intoxicated zombies working in the hours of the day when they should be sleeping, we would have a naturally productive, fully fledged, focused society of useful, happy people. The companies who are forcing their workers to start before 10 am are contributing to serious emotional and physical stresses felt by their employees and encouraging longer term adverse health risks as a result of these strict, unhealthy working patterns. These patterns could be a huge reason as to why the average American consumers over 3 cups of coffee every single day to try and keep themselves as alert as they possibly can. To put that into perspective, that’s 40 billion dollars a year – on coffee!
Source: Scientists Say That Starting Work Before 10am Is Similar To Torture
The Most Revolutionary Act 
only academics could come up with that
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Actually there has been a movement going back 15 years by the US Academy of Pediatrics to roll back the start of the school day, owing to numerous studies showing that adolescents possess a developmentally discreet sleep pattern that causes them to be chronically sleep deprived if they start school at 8 am. I think their advocacy led to an examination of the effect of early mornings on the rest of the population.
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we’ll all end up still in the office at 10 pm!
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do you recall the ‘double summertime’ proposal?
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You mean during World War II or more recently? My mother, who was in high school in the US at the time, indicates something similar was operating in Wisconsin during the war.
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it was a proposal a few years ago
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WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, STARTING WORK AT ANYTIME DAY AND/OR NIGHT IS TORTURE, NOT BECAUSE OF THE TIME, IT IS FOR THE REASON IT IS HARD TO KEEP A JOB, WITH ALL THESE LOCAL AND GLOBAL POLICES AND POLITICS; INCLUSIVE OF, THE OFFICE POLITICS, AND HAVING TO KEEP UP IRRATIONAL SUPERIORS. IT IS NOT THE TIME OF DAY, IT IS THE ENVIRONMENT; THESE SCIENTISTS SHOULD LEAVE THEIR WORLD AND EXPERIENCE EVERYONE ELSE’S WORLD TO COME TO AN ACCURATE CONCLUSION. ANOTHER REASON IT IS TORTURE TO KEEP A JOB, WHEN JOBS ARE BEING LOST OR LAY OFFS. THEY DO NOT KNOW A THING WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. THE COFFEE DOES NOT COUNT EITHER.
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I’m with you there, futuret. Work sucks – there’s no two ways about it. A fair society would give all of us access to the commons, as our ancestors enjoyed in Europe, and let us produce our own food, fuel and clothes collectively.
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EXCELLENT POINT DR. BRAMHALL, THEN THE GOODS WE HAVE WOULD BE OURS, EVERYONE WOULD PROSPER, AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE ANYONE TELL US WHAT TO BOYCOTT. BOTTOM LINE, CORPORATIONS DO NOT WANT US TO HAVE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, WE CAN MAKE OUR OWN TOOTHPASTE AND SOAP, PLUS WE CAN CREATE WALKABLE CITIES AND CONNECT TO OTHERS WITH SOUND TRANSPORTATION; THUS, AVOID ALL DRUNKENESS ON THE ROADS. I BELIEVE IN WALKABLE CITIES, BICYCLING, AND 1000% OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, MANY SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING; ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY, AND OTHERS.
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Pingback: Scientists Say That Starting Work Before 10am Is Similar To Torture — The Most Revolutionary Act | Floating-voter
Reblogged this on One Tawny Stranger.
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Now just what does this guy have against coffee farmers?
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THESE CRACK POTS NEED TO SHOW THEY ARE PRODUCTIVE, SO THEY HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOME KIND OF “SOLID THEORY” OF SOME KIND. GRANT YOU, CROPS ARE NOT GROWN LIKE THEY USE TO BE, BUT FOR NOW THIS IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. WHAT THESE SCIENTISTS NEED TO DO, IS GET THE HELL OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOMS AND LABORATORIES AND BECOME CASHIERS, WAITERS, WAITRESSES, STOCK CLERKS, AUTO MECHANICS, COOKS, BARTENDERS, BUS DRIVERS, HOTEL CLERKS, MAIDS, STREET CLEANERS, ETC…, BEFORE THEY DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS ARE ANYONE’S WORK PLACE AND/OR TORTURE, THEN THEY MAY COME UP WITH SOMETHING ACCURATE. EVEN PEOPLE WHO FIND DIFFICULTY WORKING AT NIGHT, MAY FIND SOME COMFORT IN GOING TO WORK, IF THE ENVIRONMENT IS SUITABLE AND HAVING SOME NICE COWORKERS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN GETTING SOME HELP. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THESE FOLKS HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS, BUT NEED SOMETHING TO KEEP THE GRANTS COMING IN. THESE DAY EXAMINE YOUR SCIENTISTS, THEY ARE SOMETIMES THE ONES WHO MAKE A TOTAL MESS OF THINGS, LIKE CREATING A CREATURE THAT IS HALF HUMAN AND HAVE ANIMAL, THIS IS A CRIME AND NOT SCIENCE, SO THEY HAVE CROSSED THE BORDER.
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Beats me, Tube. In my view the uncaffeinated life is even less livable than the unexamined life.
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Hell yes! I hate doing anything early in the morning, even gardening (hate wet grass!) and I never wake up hungry … Thanks for all your most intriguing posts! – Linda
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Thanks for commenting, Linda. Since I passed 65, I find I sleep much less and easily get up at 6 am. However as a young person, I found it virtually impossible to fall asleep in time to start work at 9 am. This was a major reason I went into business for myself and started my own private practice. I never saw patients before 10 am because my brain didn’t work till then.
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Totally agree and find my own body clock hates Spanish time an hour forward and daylight doesn’t really break until 9. Lighter evenings are good though.
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Your mornings sound really dreadful. I always hated going to work in the dark.
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I’m a fan of starting my work day around 10am! Wake up at 8am exercise, eat, shower, then work…But that’s the benefit of being self-employed 🙂
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Sounds good to me, Chantal. Thanks for commenting.
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There have been times I’ve genuinely loved starting work early (7:30/8am). When I had a hard physical jobs in nice weather with great friends and fun collegues doing something of worth with regular, visible goals met, work can be great, although the waking up is always tough for me!
The majority of my jobs have been indoors, with at least a little stress and often with people I’d rather not be spending time with. In those cases, an early start was tough, but actually, those jobs were unpleasant at any time of day haha
Overall, I suspect the job itself is a far greater factor than the time it starts each morning.
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Interesting point, mentalapprentice. I suspect temperamental differences are also involved. Some people by nature are night owls and some early birds. Young people especially tend to be night owls and turn into early birds as they get older. Thanks for commenting.
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IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO WHERE THE MONEY IS, THE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT, AND LOVING THE WORK YOU DO; EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS BY THE WAY SIDE. REGARDLESS OF AGE, WE ALL GO WHERE THE MONEY IS, BECAUSE THEY SEEM TO TAKE MORE AWAY FROM US.
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Must be unusual as I’d rather have an early start than a late finish
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I think it depends on age. It’s very unusual for young people to want to get up early but becomes more normal as people get into middle age.
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I really struggle with actually to getting up but I also find I’m more productive in the mornings.
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I suspect it has a lot to do with chronological age, Her Digital. From your comment, I suspect you’re over 35. Is this right?
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