Chronotype

Chronotype is the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time, or what most people understand as being an early bird versus a night owl.

In addition to regulating sleep and wake times, chronotype has an influence on appetite, exercise, and core body temperature. It is responsible for the fact that you feel more alert at certain periods of the day and sleepier at others.

Scientists consider it impossible to purposely change your chronotype. A night owl may be able to wake up at 6 am every day for work, but they may not be productive until later in the day.

Conversely, an early bird may wake up bright and chipper for their 7 am shift, but then start to feel sleepy already in the late afternoon. When a person’s natural chronotype comes into conflict with the demands of their schedule, this is termed social jet lag. 

Multiple studies have found associations between chronotype and personality, health, and quality of life. Morning types tend to be conscientious and agreeable with an aptitude towards hard work, and a tendency to perform well in school. Evening types tend to be more open to new experiences and have an aptitude for creativity but are more likely to be depressed or anxious.

Scientists usually describe two chronotypes: morning types and evening types, otherwise known as larks and owls. Actually, chronotypes fall on a spectrum with most people lying somewhere in the middle. Researchers refer to these in-between people as “hummingbirds.”

To figure out your chronotype, think about what time you would prefer to wake up on a day that you are completely free to plan, with no work or other requirements. If you’d like to be more certain of your type you can do the Morning Evening Questionnaire (MEQ) or the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ). Both are available online. Or you could do my test below, it’s a shortened combination of the two tests above.

The chronotypes can give you a general idea of your ideal schedule but there will always be variations from person to person so ultimately you want to wake up and go to sleep at the times you resonate best with.

chronotype quiz

If you'd like to read up on chronotypes then I suggest The Power of When by Michael Breus. In this book Breus  introduces the three usual chronotypes: Lions (early risers), Bears (day people), and Wolves (night owls), and then he adds a forth chronotype: Dolphins. Dolphins are light sleepers who wake up frequently throughout the night due to an overactive mind and a tendency to worry.

Breus goes beyond sleep schedule and suggests the best times for other activities such as eating, working, and exercising, based on your natural rhythms. I suggest the paperback version as the charts in the ebook are a bit small, and thus hard to read.

Sleep Doctor is the nation's authority on sleep and sleep-related issues. Founded by Dr. Michael Breus, this channel shares tips, interviews, and sleep information that will change how you sleep and how you function throughout your day. Dr. Breus is a double board-certified clinical psychologist and sleep expert. He's been in practice since 1999 and helped thousands of patients improve their sleep. Dr. Breus has written five