But, being a night owl may also just be in your genes.

If you're a night owl, some behaviors, such as consistently eating late dinners or exposing yourself to bright non-ambient light in the evening, may have helped train your internal clock to shift a bit later than normal. However, your internal clock is influenced by several other cues, too - which can allow for some pretty significant variation in the pace of your internal clock compared to someone else's. This clock primarily runs in sync with ambient light, and it's why we're sleepiest when it's dark outside and most alert during the daytime. We all have an internal clock that helps control many aspects of our lives, including our sleep/wake cycles. Doha Ayish, neurologist at Houston Methodist, is here to explain what makes a night owl a night owl, as well as why being a night owl comes with both advantages and disadvantages. Whether you're curious about what it means to be a night owl, or just an envious morning person in search of answers, Dr. Is there really a difference? And is staying up late really as bad as some people make it out to be? You're a night owl - or so you've been called by your friend who almost always clocks out of your evening hangout as soon as the sun starts going down. And it takes a coffee or two (okay, maybe three) to shake off the grogginess you feel after waking up.

You need an alarm clock to help you get out of bed at a 'decent' time in the morning. You're up late in the evenings - often into the next morning.

Define nightowl