One researcher from Oxford University, Dr. Paul Kelley, has recently established that the modern form of torture is the obligation to wake up and begin working before 10 am. This is something that affects a lot of people, as the first shift is the most common one throughout the world. The human body runs on a body clock, or biological timers called Workopolis.
This genetically pre-programmed cycle is regulating our energy levels, brain activity, perception of time, and hormone production. Scientifically, this means that starting work before 10 a.m. interferes with our biological clock unnaturally, which means torturing ourselves and throwing many of our body systems out of balance.
As Dr. Kelley explains, you can’t change your body’s 24-hour rhythm. Your heart and liver have different patterns and you’re making them shift 2 or 3 hours.
How Did This Happen?
The 8-hour working day was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century. It was created around the maximization of 24/7 factory productivity, without taking into consideration our biological clock. Nevertheless, the ancient human body has evolved around the daily cycle of sunlight and not around today’s modern business and commerce strategies.
Dr. Kelley reported for the British Science Festival that today’s world society suffers from sleep deprivation. It seems that everyone suffers from this international issue, even though they don’t have to.
He is suggesting moving the school start times in Britain from 8.30 am to 10 am. He tested this theory in one school, and after a certain period and numerous exams, he only proved what he believed in. Namely, the general productivity and the attendance levels of the school have significantly improved, as well as the grades of students.
So, just think of the improvements we’ll get if we were to adopt this idea into other spheres of society. Instead of overworked, overtired, coffee-intoxicated people working in the hours when they would normally sleep, there will be a naturally productive, focused, and full-fledged society of happy and useful people.
Those companies who force their employees to start working before 10 a.m. are contributing to serious physical and emotional stress, as well as the chances of long-term adverse health risks for workers. This happens as a result of unhealthy working patterns which are very strict.
They are also a great reason why most people in the U.S. drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day to keep themselves alert. From a financial perspective, that’s 40 billion dollars spent on coffee annually.
Via Truth Theory