Discover your sleep chronotype

They say people who wake up early are more productive and accomplish more during the day than those who get up late. Yes and No. It's true that you can accomplish more if you wake up early as you have all day to do things that you need to do, but for some people, it's hard to be productive or dynamic in the morning simply because they are not early birds. Their brain process slowly and alertness is decreased. Waking up early became part of most people's everyday routine, even though you're not a morning person, you're in a way forced to wake up early because of daily morning chores, school or a 9 am job.

Did you know that your sleep type can influence your productivity and energy levels? It's called sleep chronotype and knowing yours can make a big impact on your daily routine. Believe it or not — your body has been programmed to function much better at certain times of the day than others.

Circadian rhythm run approximately every 24 hours, regulating metabolism, hormone release, body temperature, and of course, the sleep-wake cycle. Some people simplify circadian rhythm by referring to it as our body's internal clock.(1) Sleep chronotype is closely related to circadian rhythm, which controls the day-to-day sleep-wake cycle and release melatonin in response to environmental cues such as light and temperature. However, while circadian rhythm can be "trained" by adhering to a strict schedule, the underlying chronotype exists on a more permanent basis.(2)

Each chronotype will reveal exactly what you need to do to work with your body, not against it.

There are chronotype categories and they are named after animals. Let's discover your sleep spirit animal, shall we?


BEAR 

50% of the population. Bear’s internal clocks track the rise and fall of the sun.

  • Awake during the day and need 8-hours of solid sleep at night
  • Mid afternoon energy dip
  • Tired by end of day 
  • Usually wakes up around 7 a.m and asleep by 11 p.m

LION

15% of the population. Lions tend to wake up early with lots of energy, but by early evening they are exhausted and crash. 

  • Natural-born early bird
  • Most productive early morning
  • Lose stream throughout the day
  • Usually wakes up around 5:30 a.m and asleep by 10:30 p.m 

WOLF

15% of the population. Wolves have a hard time waking up early, are slow to rise, and most energetic in the evening.

  • Sleep late, wake up late
  • Late day energy surge
  • Productive in the late afternoon and night time
  • Usually wakes up around 7 a.m or later and asleep by midnight

DOLPHIN

10% of the population. Dolphins typically struggle to sleep or nap and are light sleepers. Often tired all day with a spurt of energy after mid-day.

  • Struggle to wake and fall asleep
  • Tired all day
  • Generally don’t get enough and solid sleep at night
  • Usually wakes up around 6 a.m and asleep by midnight

"Start scheduling your days based on your chronotypes! Embrace your inner animal and start following your optimal sleep schedule" (3)




References:

1 https://amerisleep.com/blog/circadian-rhythm/

2 https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/chronotypes

3 https://mantasleep.com/blogs/sleep/how-understanding-your-chronotype-helps-you-sleep-better