Back in June 2023, you might have read ‘How to improve your sleep hygiene now – and why you should’, in which we looked at the ingredients for a perfect night’s rest.
Outlining the effects of poor quality and too little sleep, the article also looked at some of the short- and long-term consequences on your health. These included:
- Tiredness and irritability during the day
- Increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and obesity
- And even a shortened life expectancy.
One thing we didn’t mention last summer, was the role your chronotype plays. And how understanding your genetic predispositions can help you get on top of your circadian rhythms and master restful sleep.
Now, with World Sleep Day (15 March) approaching, keep reading for your look at chronotypes and how to match your sleep pattern to yours.
You might think of yourself as a night owl or a morning lark
The two chronotypes we most often hear mentioned are the early birds (or morning larks) and the night owls.
Early birds
Early birds are up with the lark. If this is you, you’ll likely feel fresh from the off and be ready to hit the ground running.
That might literally mean starting the day with a run or a walk. You’ll probably feel the most productive in the first half of the day but you might start to flag in the afternoon and you’ll likely go to bed early.
Night owls
If you find that you wake up feeling groggy and it takes you a long time to come around – regardless of the amount of sleep you’ve had – you’re probably a night owl. You’ll do your best work in the second half of the day and might stay up late.
But there are more than two chronotypes.
You might fit broadly into other chronotypes and knowing which could improve your sleep
While it can be simple to think of yourself as either a night owl or an early bird, things are rarely that simple.
Four other chronotypes might apply and they could be a better fit for you.
Bears
If you are a bear, your sleep cycle runs broadly in line with the sun. That makes the bear chronotype the most common, with 55% of us fitting into it.
As the most common chronotype, it informs the way society is scheduled and we all tend to work or go to school roughly according to the sun’s timetable.
Spending the majority of the daylight hours awake, bears tend to hit peak productivity between 10 am and 2 pm.
If you recognise these bear habits, you might want to think about how you can factor them into your day. Plan to get most things done in your most productive morning hours and remember that it’s ok to feel sluggish after lunch. Don’t feel you have to maximise productivity right up to a 2 pm deadline – just know that this is when a natural fall-off might occur.
It’s easy to lose your sleep pattern as a bear, working late and sleeping badly then making up “lost” hours at the weekend. Try to avoid this as a regular pattern is key.
Lions
Lions tend to wake up feeling positive and love an early night. This is a routine that can have health benefits, helping lions to get just the right amount of good quality sleep – between seven and nine hours a night.
As with the morning larks, lions hit the ground running but could begin to lose their productive powers by midday.
If you have any big meetings or important tasks to complete, be sure to get them in before lunch.
Wolves
Wolves (15%) and lions (15%) account for almost a third of the population.
If lions equate to morning larks and early birds, then the wolves are the night owls.
Waking up is difficult and it can take several alarms until you finally climb out of bed. You might not start to feel tired until late evening or maybe even midnight.
Your peak productivity occurs in a short window between 4 pm and 6 pm, which makes concentrating during a working day difficult.
Constant attempts to focus during non-peak hours can lead to health issues. Accept that focus might be hard to come by but try to stay on top of work. That will leave your evenings free for the more creative pursuits that better suit your personality.
Dolphins
Only around 10% of the population falls into the dolphin chronotype.
You might be tired during the day but then struggle to sleep at night, waking often and unable to settle.
Of all chronotypes, dolphins are most likely to be insomniacs. This is because dolphins’ brains become more active at night, part of an evolutionary alertness during sleeping hours.
You’ll likely be most productive between 3 pm and 9 pm but your lack of sleep could lead to peaks and troughs of tiredness throughout the day.
You might not be able to control your chronotype so learn how to manage it
You might not fit neatly into just one of these six chronotypes but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is recognising your sleep patterns.
Scientists believe that your chronotype is a heritable traits, so you can’t change it. How and when you sleep is in your genes.
Instead, you’ll need to embrace it. Understand your restful periods and productive hours and, as much as possible, plan your days around those times of peak performance.
