Stop Feeling Bad About Not Being A Morning Person. It’s Science.

It’s January. The New Year’s Resolution girlies are out in full force. You should be drinking green smoothies, snagging a spot in a Pilates class, and waking up at 6 am feeling rested and energized, right? At least that’s what you’re expected to strive for if you don’t want to be a complete degenerate. 

While smoothies are delicious, I can’t vouch for a sunrise alarm clock with quite the same energy. It’s truly not for everyone. Are you one of those people who has tried and tried to get up early, but it always ends up ruining the day? That’s because the sleep cycle that suits you best may vary, according to your chronotype. You can relax. You’re off the hook. 

What’s a chronotype?

Your chronotype is your body’s preferred sleep cycle. It’s largely driven by genetics. Genetics! Exhale some of that guilt away now, and keep reading. Yes, it’s driven by your genetics and also related closely to your circadian rhythm. Some scientists theorize that we originally had different but slightly overlapping chronotypes to maximize our hunter-gatherer efficiency. Some people can sleep, while others hunt, keep watch, or raise the young, and then they rotate. 

Your chronotype not only determines the best time for you to rise and sleep but also which hours of the day you do your best work. Things will naturally flex a little for you depending on your age. Children naturally have earlier chronotypes, and they shift later in the teen years, before going back a little earlier into adulthood (for some, more than others). Unfortunately for natural night owls, the modern workday is built to favour the early bird. You might find it hard to fight sleepiness and struggle to push through the morning, but the later afternoon will feel like you’re time to thrive. But by then, the work day is wrapping up. 

So now that you know what a chronotype is, how do you find yours, and use it to your advantage?

How do I know what my chronotype is?

You’re in luck! Much like finding out your Myers-Briggs personality type, or your love language, there’s a quiz for that. Your quiz results will direct you to one of four outcomes. With each outcome represented by a different animal (cute!). If you are…

The Lion: You represent about 10-20% of the population. You naturally wake up early (around 5 or 6 am) and are most productive before noon. The evenings are for winding down, and you have no problem sleeping before 10 pm.

The Wolf: The natural opposite of the lion, you prefer to wake around 9 am or later. Representing around 15% of the population, the wolf is productive between 1-5 pm and you might choose to stay up until midnight before you get sleepy.

The Bear: You can naturally flex a little depending on the rise and set of the sun. Approximately 55% of people fall into the bear category, and on average, they get up around 7 am and sleep around 11 pm. You have no problem with the traditional workday and usually have the energy to enjoy a social life at night as well.

The Dolphin: Representing around 10% of the population, your chronotype is a little more erratic. You’re a sensitive sleeper and you might get up early around 6:30 am but you’ll still stay up late into the night, around 11 pm. You’re most productive smack-dab in the middle of the day, and you have a really tough time sticking to a sleep routine. 

Now that you know which animal you’re most alike, you may still have a few more questions.

Can I change my chronotype?

The short answer is no. Because your chronotype is so tied to genetics, as well as age, your natural underlying chronotype will remain a constant.  

However, you can adhere to strict lifestyle changes to adjust your circadian rhythm. There’s hope for you, you office-working night owl! 

Things like sticking to a certain wake-up time, exercising, adjusting your exposure to light, and cutting caffeine could help your body shift to a slightly different rhythm. It could be tough and will require consistency, but you’ll likely find that a circadian rhythm that adheres more closely to your lifestyle is well worth it.

So… now what?

Do with this information what you will! Work to adjust your circadian rhythm to excel at work, gloat to your friends if you’re a lion, or use your quiz results to argue for or against your compatibility with someone in your dating life. The options are endless. 

But don’t let those New Year’s Resolution girlies get to you. You stick to the lifestyle (and sleep schedule) that suits you best. Smoothies and Pilates, optional.