'Early bird' or 'Night owl' - Who are you?

WRITTEN BY: CHAMATHI D. DE SILVA CLASS OF 2024

The article discusses the chronotypes, determined by individuals' natural tendencies to wake up early or stay up late due to their circadian rhythms. The article advises taking a chronotype quiz to identify one's inclination and offers practical tips for improving sleep quality and energy levels based on these tendencies

Have a hard time waking up early? Or do you prefer to stay up late into the night?

The reason for such a tendency is that our energy levels vary differently among individuals. This has led to the division of two types of people. The Morning Larks or the early birds; those who tend to wake up with the earliest rays of the sun and delight in hearing the sweet birdsongs of dawn. There are also those who wish to mute their alarm and snuggle into the blanket in the morning but stay up late into the night revealing in the quite stillness of the dark, the Night Owls.

WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE?

In reality there is a much deeper science at work with regard to when we want to wake up. This is called the Circadian Rhythm. The Circadian Rhythm is a hormone driven internal clock that regulate the energy levels throughout the day. There are two hormones that regulate the Circadian Rhythm, Melatonin secreted by the pineal gland and Cortisol in plasma.

During the daytime light exposure causes the internal clock to generate signals for alertness and help us to keep active. This is done by the increase in the level of Cortisol. In a similar way, as night falls the production of Melatonin is increased to promote sleep and to keep us asleep through the night.

WHAT ARE MORNING LARKS AND NIGHT OWLS?

Morning Larks tend to be early-to-be-early- to-rise , as well as feeling the best in the morning. But they tend to have less energy in the late afternoon and evening as well as have a hard time staying awake past their usual bedtime. Night Owls tend to stay awake late into the night as well as enjoy sleeping in and feel the best later in the day. But they have a hard time staying alert during the day and feel tired after waking early in the morning.

In recent times the study of the sleep-wake cycle and individual levels of activity and alertness has given rise to the term Chronotype.

CHRONOTYPES

A chronotype is the behavioral inclination of the body to be active and awake at certain times which is governed by the Circadian Cycle. Eva Cohen, a certified sleep science coach from Kansas says that knowing your chronotype may help with understanding how your internal clock works and how you can synchronize it with your daily activities and duties use your time efficiently.

Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D., psychologist and certified clinical sleep specialist has stated that people typically fall into one of four chronotype categories ; the bear, the wolf, the lion and the dolphin.

THE BEAR

About 55 percent of people fall into the bear chronotype and is the most common chronotype. This chronotype is most productive before noon and struggle with an afternoon stump after lunch, typically around 2-4pm. Eight hours of sleep is typical and normal sleep hours tend to be between 11pm and 7am.

The bear has a happy-go-lucky attitude and has a continuous flow of mellow energy to engage with people. The ideal schedule for a bear will include waking up from7-8am, doing work that require focus between 10am to 2 pm and relaxing after 4pm. If a bear does not get enough sleep at night, they may feel lethargic throughout the day and go to bed earlier than normal. If you are a bear, make sure to get enough sleep to maintain your energy levels.

THE WOLF

The wolf is not a morning person and tend to be most energetic waking up later in the day. They get two bursts if creative energy; first around noon and the second coming around 6pm when other have finished their workday. Wolves are happy to go to bed around midnight or well past it.

The wolf is highly creative and introspective but their energy tend to be reserved during social interactions leading them to be introverted at most times. The ideal schedule for a wolf is to wake around 7.30 – 9am and engage in deep focus work between 12-2pm, engaging in creative tasks between 5-9pm.

THE LION

The lion is the epitome of “Early to bed, early to ride” with their energy levels peaking before noon and is typically able to complete massive amounts of work before lunch. But the afternoon slump hits this type hard and often will need a power nap to recharge and by evening they feel drained.

The lions are natural leaders and are charismatic. They are usually seen exercising early and the first in the office.Their ideal schedule is to wake up around 6-7pm and to focus on deep work between 8-12pm, they can continue light tasks till 4pm. It is important for lions to have an evening wind-down routine to help decompress from the day and calling an early night around 10pm. Lions generally need around eight hours of sleep to sustain their energy levels.

THE DOLPHIN

The dolphin also known as the insomniac of the water, have a hard time waking up in the morning but once awake their productivity reaches its peak around mid- morning. Similar to their namesake, they have anxious sleeping behaviors including having a hard time falling asleep each night. A power nap during the day can give them a boost of energy to combat the ongoing daily tiredness.

The dolphin is the hardest to create a set schedule since they tend to have sporadic sleeping habits. Dolphins tend to be highly intelligent and have bursts of creative energy but their peers tend to find them scatterbrained due to their flowing thoughts, can be seen as distant and uninterested during social interactions. They tend to ruminate about the day’s successes and failures while in bed.

WHAT IF YOU DON'T FIT IN WITH JUST ONE CHRONOTYPE?

Realistically most of us will fall in the range between two chronotypes. Researchers have identified these individuals as ‘humming birds’.

If you feel like you are in-between chronotypes or struggle to follow your chronotype schedule, you can follow the following steps to help you increase your sleep quality and quantity.

►Eat at the right times – A high protein breakfast will get your bodily cycles running and help metabolic functions work smoothly. An early, carb-heavy dinner is ideal to help the body prepare for sleep. Also be mindful not to overeat and to avoid food at least 2 hours before bed time.

►Avoid caffeine in the afternoon – Caffeine has a stimulant effect and therefore has to be avoided within six hours of bedtime. You can also consider drinking caffeine-free alternatives. For example; milk or chai, as well as different fruit juices.

►Follow a consistent sleep schedule - going to bed and sticking to a set bedtime can help. Also an evening routine can help falling asleep. A screen-free routine like reading a book or listening to music can be a good option.

Following these steps will allow you to ease yourself into a good night sleep and help you regain energy to tackle the new day with vigor.