Volume #27: Your Sleep Cycle By Chronotype (Explained)

There’s nothing like good sleep to power you through the day.

You can prioritize, task-manage, and time-block all you want; but there’s simply no amount of productivity-hacking that can replace the benefits of a solid 8 hours of shut-eye.

Yep, the science agrees: Experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for adults. Getting less than that is correlated with serious health issues, including obesity and diabetes. ¹

Personally? I need 9 hours of sleep - not to feel my best… but just to, you know, be ok. It’s taken a long time for me to accept that this is a need, and not a luxury. And when I’m totally in the zone, I like to stay up until 11 or so - which makes me the night owl of the house!

And as it turns out, these aren’t just preferences. In fact, everyone has unique needs for nightly sleep that depend on your genetic makeup, known as chronotype.

In today’s newsletter, discover your chronotype - and how to harness it for feel-good scheduling every day of the week!

Reflection Prompts for Reflecting on Rest

⭐ To what extent do you identify with your chronotype?
⭐ What do you love about your morning routines?
⭐ What activities do you like to front load in your day?
⭐ What does rest look like to you throughout the day?
⭐ What are the top three obstacles for getting to bed on time?

Circadian Rhythm Charts According to Chronotype 

So, what about you?

What’s you’re ideal time to rise and shine, and when is your ideal bedtime?

Be honest 😉

Maybe this will help with your self-reflection: The early bird may get the worm… but did you know that night owls have higher IQs? ²

We need all types and all strips to make this world go ‘round! Below are some general guidelines for chronotypes. Note that there aren’t rigid guidelines for chrontypes, but rather patterns of activity and rest associated with one type or another.

• Early bird: wakes between 5-7am, most active in the morning

• Third bird: wakes between 7am-10am, activity varies

• Night owl: wakes between 10am-12pm, most active in the evening

Basically, chronotype refers to your body's natural tendency to sleep at specific times. You may be an early bird who thrives in the morning, tackling tasks with vigor. Or maybe, you only feel your creative spark ignite as the sun sets. You might fall in between - this is the “third bird” chronotype.

Understanding your chronotype can totally transform the way you plan your day.

👀 We’ve created charts for each chronotype to help you visualize your sleep-wake cycle throughout the day, and plan accordingly.