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Chronodiversity: A Forgotten Aspect of Neurodiversity

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05.02.2026

This article was written in collaboration with Camilla Kring.

You've set three alarms. Then you hit snooze twice. Now you're running late again, gulping coffee and knowing you'll pay for skipping breakfast later.

You wonder what's wrong with you. Why can't you just go to sleep earlier? Why do you need an alarm clock to function?

Only it’s not just you—not even close. More than 80 percent of the population uses alarm clocks to wake up earlier than their body naturally would. They are socially jet-lagged. What society judges as a discipline problem is in fact a design problem: Modern schedules don't match most people's biology.

What comes to your mind when people mention neurodiversity? Many immediately think of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia, or equate neurodiversity with cognitive diversity—different ways of thinking or processing information. However, these interpretations are narrow—and insufficient for supporting neurologically friendly and safe environments.

Neurodiversity is neurological diversity: the full range of ways human nervous systems can be wired. It encompasses cognition, emotion, sensory processing, motor coordination, speech, and, crucially, circadian regulation: how our nervous systems manage sleep-wake timing, energy fluctuations, and daily rhythms. The neurodiversity framework offers much for understanding and addressing the difficulties faced by people who experience time differently than the dominant culture dictates.

At the broadest level, biodiversity describes variation among species within ecosystems. Human diversity encompasses all variations that make........

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