Chrontypes
In a world where most of us need to start our working days around 8 or 9am, going to bed early enough to allow for a full night’s sleep is important. Some of us will find it quite difficult, even unnatural, to go to sleep earlier in the evening and may take some time to feel alert in the morning. This is completely normal, since we all have differences in our natural inclination to the times of day when we prefer to sleep, or when we are more energetic and alert.
So, while we can train ourselves to change our sleeping habits and sleep patterns with a fairly structured and common regimen (process of sleep restriction therapy that you may be following), the underlying chronotype of a person is not “one-size-fits-all”. We may each feel more alert and productive at different periods of the day and sleepier at others.
You probably already know whether you prefer waking up early or late, or when your ultimate functioning period during the day is, but let’s look at the different chronotypes.
Morning larks or early birds tend to prefer getting up earlier in the morning and going to bed earlier in the evening. They tend to be more alert and function more optimally earlier in the day. They are likely to feel refreshed and rested getting up early in the morning but may find it difficult staying up later at night.
Which chronotype do you feel most associated with?