Understanding your chronotype can improve your sleep quality and daytime productivity
Did you know your sleep pattern might be written in your genes? Chronotypes are natural inclinations that determine your optimal times for sleep and activity. Aligning your activities with your body clock enhances your performance and overall well-being.
Everyone has a favourite meeting time, be it first thing or after lunch. Our different energy peaks and troughs throughout the day are driven by our unique "chronotype" (Roenneberg et al., 2007). To determine your chronotype, consider your energy levels throughout the day. What are your natural sleep preferences on weekends or when you’re on holiday?
Different studies have used varying categories, one method uses four:
- Bear: Active with sunrise, sleeps with sunset; peaks in mid-morning and early afternoon.
- Lion: Early riser, productive in mornings, winds down early evening; sleeps around 9-10 p.m.
- Wolf: Late riser, energetic in afternoons and evenings; struggles with early morning starts.
- Dolphin: Light, irregular sleeper; productive late morning and early afternoon; sensitive to noise.
For the sake of the early bird, night owl metaphor, let's take a deeper look at these three more classical categories.
Larks
Do you wake up early? Even on weekends? Are you the first to fall asleep during a movie? Sounds like you’re a morning type, or a ‘lark’. Morning people tend to wake up early and feel most energetic and alert in the morning hours. They also usually find it easy to fall asleep early in the evening. Larks thrive in environments that require early starts and can perform best in tasks that demand concentration and cognitive function during the early part of the day. Research suggests that they may have a shorter circadian cycle, which drives their early sleep and wake patterns (Roenneberg et al., 2003).
Hummingbirds
Intermediate types, or hummingbirds, have a more flexible sleep-wake pattern and can adjust to both early and late schedules with relative ease. This adaptability allows them to navigate various work and social obligations without significant disruption to their sleep. Hummingbirds represent the middle ground, with a circadian rhythm that aligns more closely with the 24-hour day (Roenneberg et al., 2007).
Night owls
Can you finish a Netflix series in one sitting? Does the thought of an early start make you shudder? Evening types prefer to stay up late and wake up later in the morning or even in the afternoon and feel more productive during the late afternoon and evening hours. Night owls may have a longer circadian cycle, which delays their natural cycle (Roenneberg et al., 2003). This chronotype is synonymous with creative work and activities that benefit from high energy levels in the evening (Wittmann et al., 2006). However, night owls often have difficulties with traditional work or school schedules that require early starts, leading to chronic sleep deprivation and associated health risks. People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often fit into this category, frequently experiencing delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), where their natural sleep time is shifted later into the night, making it difficult to wake up early (Coogan & McGowan, 2017). One study by Giampietro and Cavallera (2007) found that evening types scored higher on measures of creativity. This link may be due to the unconventional thinking and unique problem-solving approaches often facilitated by late-night hours, with the quiet and solitude of nighttime providing an environment conducive to creative work or perhaps just a binge-worthy series.
We’re all different
Chronotypes aren't fixed; they develop with age. Adolescents typically experience a phase delay, preferring later sleep and wake times than younger children and adults (Crowley et al., 2007). For some, this delayed energy remains into adulthood. This shift is considered an evolutionary adaptation, ensuring that some individuals are constantly vigilant in their communities. (Hartmann, 1996). The persistence of ADHD in the population suggests that these traits may have conferred survival benefits in ancestral environments. The "night watchman" or “sentinel” hypothesis suggests that having some group members awake at different times enhanced the community's ability to detect and respond to threats (Roenneberg et al., 2004).
On the flip side, morning risers were needed to carry out immediate daily activities and were able to watch over their community while the owls slept in.
Missing the Beat
Respecting circadian rhythms aka - our body's natural sleep cycle - is crucial for maintaining health and wellbeing. As we continue to navigate our busy modern lives, understanding and aligning our schedules with our own biological clocks (and chronotypes) can offer significant health benefits. Extended sleep disruptions, however, can have long-term consequences.
Life's demands often require us to shift our sleeping patterns, here are several habits to look out for:
- Although it’s nice on occasion, consistent schedules support optimal circadian function. Variations, even on weekends, can lead to ‘jet lag’ - akin to the effects of changing time zones (Wittmann et al., 2006).
- Jet lag from crossing time zones can upset the body's internal clock as it adjusts to new light-dark cycles, a process that can take several days (Waterhouse et al., 2007).
- Exposure to light from screens in the evening is thought to inhibit melatonin production, which delays our exposure to light from screens in the evening is thought to inhibit melatonin production, which delays our sleep onset (Chang et al., 2015).
- Working night shifts can lead to “shift work disorders”, wich come with increase the risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease (Straif et al., 2007). Despite this, some thrive under these conditions.
- Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can affect sleep patterns. Some biological women can experience disrupted sleep before their menstruation, however, this can often be alleviated by light therapy/taking in natural daylight (Baker & Driver, 2007).
Play to Your Strengths
Recognising your own chronotype can help you to inform your schedules, potentially improving overall health and productivity. If possible, seek flexible work or study arrangements that allow you to operate according to your chronotype. This flexibility can reduce stress and improve productivity.
All said and done, our society is still fairly regimented around a standard schedule, and simply changing jobs isn’t an option for everyone. There is much that could be said about flexible schedules that accommodate individual circadian rhythms, which ultimately would foster a healthier, more productive population, but until then it’s important we keep on top of our sleep hygiene. Reinforcing good habits is the best way to give us all the best chance of a well-rested sleep.