Chronotypes 101: Are You a Lion, Bear, Wolf, or Dolphin?
By: Kelly Murray, Certified Adult Sleep Coach, FDN-P
Do you know what type of animal you are in bed?
Now that I've got your attention, get your mind out of the gutter because we’re talking about chronotypes.
What Is a Chronotype?
Chronotypes are the classification of the natural timing of your circadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm is your body's clock that dictates the time in which you’re sleepy, alert, and hungry; it controls the timing of digestion, your body temperature and even wound healing (and the list goes on and on).
We used to think there were only two chronotypes: night owls and early birds. But we know humans are much more complicated than that. Luckily for us, world-renowned sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus has expanded upon those definitions and has identified four main chronotypes: the lion, the bear, the wolf, and the dolphin.
Read the description of each chronotype below to help you identify which animal you are, what challenges you may face based on your animal and — most importantly — how you can overcome those challenges.
That way, you can optimize your sleep and energy and feel your best.
Lion
Lions are the folks who are literally “first up”! King of the jungle, lions are typically the bosses and leaders in our world. Their philosophy is, “Early to bed, early to rise!” and they typically get more done before 8:00 AM than most of us get done all day.
Being a lion is a wonderful thing. Lions are efficient and productive and they excel at the workplace. But with all of that early morning business energy typically comes the side effect of social life depletion. Lions just can't stay awake to socialize in the evening!
What is a sleepy lion to do?
Move the Exercise Routine Later
Lions typically like to hit the ground running in the morning — literally. Exercise produces an influx of cortisol (the alert hormone); so I recommend, instead, to try moving the exercise routine from the morning to after working hours. This will increase your cortisol levels later in the day, giving you the energy you need to stay awake in the evening.
Avoid Carbohydrates After Work
When you go out with your friends at night, make sure that you avoid carbohydrates. Carbohydrates convert into serotonin, which converts into melatonin (the sleepy hormone). Opt for protein, instead, to sustain you.
Stick to Just One Alcoholic Drink
The problem with alcohol is that, while it does lead to a good time, it can also make our lions extra sleepy because it's a sedative. In addition, it increases adenosine. Adenosine is a chemical that connects to the neurons in our brains that make us sleepy. If you stick to the one drink, you should be able to make it to at least 10:00 PM so you can enjoy dinner and drinks with friends.
Bear
The bears are the luckiest of all chronotypes. I say this because about 50% of the population are bears, so our world revolves around them. Our work and social schedules are adapted to a bear’s biological clock, given their majority status. Bears follow a solar schedule, waking with the sunrise and falling asleep a few hours after sunset.
Bears are social animals and have a strong sleep need; they typically require about 8 hours of sleep to feel their best. But, being a bear is not without its challenges! Because bears are social creatures, they tend to stay awake a little bit too late — especially during the week — and they don't always get enough sleep. So, the bear’s sleep deprivation builds throughout the week. Then when the weekend comes, that bear is extra sleepy. So they take advantage of not having to go to work on the weekend and they sleep in. They'll catch up on their sleep Saturday and Sunday, and they’ll also typically stay out later on the weekend, too. As a result, their circadian rhythm shifts later.
What this means is that the bear’s melatonin is going to start pumping later in the evening. By Sunday night when our bear has to go to bed at their normal time, they're not going to be sleepy until at least an hour later. Our bear is going to lie awake, stressing out about the fact that they can't sleep, which then makes it even more difficult to fall asleep. They end up not getting enough sleep on Sunday night and then start Monday off on a bad note. It takes a couple days for their body clock to shift earlier again, and by the time it does, the cycle starts all over again over the weekend. Talk about a perpetual case of the Mondays!
How should a sleepy Bear bear it?
Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep Per Night
Stick to a Consistent Bedtime and Wake-Up Time (even on the weekends)
Have a Plan for When the Afternoon Fatigue Sets In
Bears usually experience low energy around 3:00 PM. Being a bear myself, the 3:00 PM slump is when I want to grab for coffee — especially a sugar-filled latte. The problem, though, is that it’s not really going to sustain your energy levels. All it's going to do is give you a boost of adrenaline (because of the sugar) and help you feel a little more alert (due to the caffeine). The problem with having caffeine that late is that it could affect your ability to fall and stay asleep at night. Plus, the sugar is going to make you feel even more tired once that effect wears off, too.
Instead of grabbing for that sugary latte, I recommend taking a little break. What you really need at 3:00 PM is to rest. If you work at a progressive company, or work from home, it's a good time to take a power nap. Keep it to 20 mins or less; otherwise, you may feel even more groggy when you wake up. If a nap is out of the question, get a “sun snack”! Take a walk around the block and expose yourself to about 10 minutes of sunlight. The natural sunlight will send a signal to your brain to “perk up” and stimulate cortisol production.
If you can’t rest or get outside, do a brief meditation, do some deep breathing, or call a friend. Do yourself a favor and instead of reaching for a high-calorie snack (especially caffeine!), take a little break. That's going to recharge your battery and help sustain your energy throughout the evening.
Wolf
Wolves are some of my favorite people in the world! Typically working in entertainment or advertising, wolves are the creatives, the artists — and their creative juices usually flow late at night. So, wolves typically stay up late and also sleep in late in the morning. This is totally fine if a wolf works a position that allows them to keep late hours. However, for those wolves out there working 9-5’s, this chronotype can make it really challenging to have energy in the morning when you are expected to be productive.
Howl should wolves approach their sleep?
Get Outside and Get Moving in the Morning
This is especially important for wolves who work jobs more conducive to a bear’s schedule. Getting outside early in the day is going to make a big difference. Sunlight naturally increases our cortisol levels, and so does exercise. The combination of getting direct sunlight with movement will help give the boost of energy that a wolf needs to make it through the morning.
Now, I don’t mean run a marathon in the morning; wolves probably aren't going to have a lot of energy first thing in the day. Instead, wolves should try incorporating movement into their current routines. For example, when commuting to work, wolves can get off a couple stops sooner than their regular stop, or they can park further away from the office, so they can walk a bit. Just a bit of exercise — even 15 minutes — makes a difference. Spending some time outdoors is really all that’s needed to get the full effect of a nice cortisol influx.
Hungry Like the Wolf?
I also recommend that wolves stay away from late-night snacking. Wolves typically eat with their families around 6:00 PM, and then by the time 10:00 PM rolls around, they have the munchies. Instead, have a late-day snack to control your blood sugar and make sure it contains protein, then eat dinner around 8:00 PM. This will help keep your blood sugar stable so that you're not reaching for those Frito's at 11:00 PM…
Dolphin
Dolphins are highly intelligent, but also highly neurotic. They would totally take over the world if they could only get some sleep! Dolphins are the insomniacs. Just as dolphins in the ocean sleep with 50% of their brains shut down, insomniacs, too, can’t shut their brains all the way down. The problem with this is that our dolphins don't get good sleep.
They have issues falling asleep, staying asleep, and we all know how important sleep is. Sleep of course gives us energy, but it's also important for our immune system, our metabolism, and our emotional and physical health and well-being. We need these dolphins to get better sleep so that they can truly shine and live happy lives.
What should a sleepless dolphin do?
Do a Late Afternoon Brain Dump
After work, take out a notebook and just write about all of your worries — get it all out. Also, write a to-do list for the next day. This way, your worries and stresses can leave your brain (at least temporarily) and you can rest assured knowing you have them written out on paper. Lastly, write some thoughts you have around your sleep — especially if they're negative. Take a look at those thoughts and ask yourself, “Are those 100% true?” If they're not, try to think of a more positive statement about your sleep.
Do a Quick Meditation or Some Deep Breathing
Once everything is out on paper, do a quick little meditation (maybe 5 minutes) or some deep breathing, so that you can completely decompress and settle your mind. This will help prevent you from being wide awake at 3:00 AM thinking about the laundry list of things that you have to do.
Eat Carbohydrates at Dinner
As I mentioned before when I advised the lions to avoid carbohydrates at night, carbohydrates convert into serotonin. Serotonin then converts into melatonin (the sleepy hormone), and that's going to help our dolphins to sleep. So incorporate some carbohydrates into dinner to aid your melatonin production.
Have Realistic Expectations
When it comes to a dolphin’s sleep needs, having realistic expectations is important. Dolphins typically have a lower sleep need than the rest of us. A lot of them only need 6-7 hours of sleep. Because they're not getting good sleep, I find that dolphins often put themselves to bed too early, and then they don't have enough sleep pressure to make it through the night. This further exacerbates the dolphin’s wakings. Instead, lean more towards a later bedtime, maybe somewhere between 11:00 PM-1:00 AM, depending on what time you wake up during the day, and aim to get 6-7 hours of sleep.
Not Sure What Chronotype You Are? No Worries!
if you still don't know what your sleep animal is, I recommend checking out The Power of When. You can take a short quiz to help you figure out your chronotype. While you’re there, you can also sign up for Dr. Michael Breus's newsletter and he'll provide you with tips for your sleep animal.
If you have any further questions about this, you can also reach out to me. I'm always happy to help you. You can email me, or you can set up a complimentary discovery call with me to work one-on-one.
I hope that this information is helpful and translates into more sleep for you so that you can feel and be your best.
Let’s get you tucked in
Lions, Dolphins, and Bears — OH MY! Still can’t sleep?
There may be something more at play beneath the surface. When this is the case, I highly recommend functional lab testing to look at your hormones, gut health, thyroid, mineral deficiencies, and food sensitivities. Lab testing is part of what I offer in my adult sleep coaching program, so if this seems like something you want to look into, let’s talk. Give me a call and let’s get you sleeping again →
For more tips, you can read more articles on improving your sleep in my sleep blog. I have a ton of great resources for you.
My mission is to help you get the rest you deserve to be your best.
Sweet Dreams
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.