{"id":26587,"date":"2022-05-05T14:48:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T21:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/?p=26587"},"modified":"2022-05-05T14:48:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T21:48:25","slug":"chronotype-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/chronotype-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"Chronotype Optimization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201cEarly Bird\u201d doesn\u2019t always get the worm..<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, even as a kid, I was always an early morning riser.  So, when my Dad yanked the sheets off the bed on the weekends, I didn\u2019t mind\u2026as much. Now that sleep has finally got its \u201cmedicinal due\u201d, we\u2019re learning more and more about how to optimize it. But before we buy sleeping masks, get under our weighted blankets, and drop the thermostat to 65degrees, we need to understand more about US. We\u2019re not all early morning risers or late-night sleepers, understanding your sleep chronotype not only helps you to figure out when to sleep, but let\u2019s you know the best times for you to eat, workout, be creative\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What is a Chronotype?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: <\/strong>It\u2019s a natural inclination regarding the time of day when a person prefers to sleep<\/strong> or when they feel most alert or energized. <\/strong>What\u2019s key to understand is the \u201cnatural inclination<\/strong>\u201d. Genetically you have your own rhythm, this isn\u2019t when you want to wake up\/sleep, it\u2019s when your body is genetically set to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Does your Chronotype regulate anything else?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: Yes, it can also influence 25 other key activities<\/strong>, including your appetite and digestion, your energy levels \u2013 mentally and physically, hormonal function, core body temperature, and even the best time to have sex! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Can your Chronotype change? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: It can, slightly<\/strong>. There is some evidence that shows in our teenage years, we end up wanting to sleep later, then as we get older it shifts to earlier, then back again in older adulthood. However, when lifestyle factors have been removed, it pretty much shows that what you prefer from 25-50yrs old is your true Chronotype.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How many Chronotypes are there?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: In truth, chronotypes fall in a spectrum, however the (4) most popular ones<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lion<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cthe early bird\u201d, wake up early, most productive before 2:00pm, and in bed by 9-10pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear<\/strong> \u2013 55% of us, they follow the sun, up at daybreak and down when it\u2019s dark<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolf<\/strong> \u2013 the \u201cnight owl\u201d, wakes up and goes to bed late as possible<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolphin<\/strong> \u2013 dolphins (the fish), always have one side of their brain alert, same here, best described as an \u201cinsomniac\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Let\u2019s talk about the Lion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: \u201cEarly Bird\u201d. <\/strong>Optimal time to wake up, around 5:30am-6:00am, bed by not later than 10:00pm. They\u2019ll be sluggish by afternoon, so optimal productivity time is between 9:00am-1:00pm, and they should avoid analytic and problem-solving tasks after 2:00pm. Rather focus on creativity, brainstorming, idea generation from 2:00pm \u2013 4:00pm. Around 4:00pm-6:00pm is best physical performance time, so workout then. Best time to have your heaviest meal is in morning. Drinking coffee should be limited to between 8:00am-10:00am and 2pm-4pm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Let\u2019s talk about the Bear?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: Half the world!<\/strong> Typically, they have a stable sleeping schedule, but they feel like they don\u2019t get enough sleep. So, they sleep late on the weekends to catch up, that\u2019s a NO-NO for Bears. It will screw them up for the whole week. Optimal wake up time, 7am-8am, bed time by 11pm. Most productive time is between 10am-2pm, from 2-4pm they should focus on less technical\/complex tasks, they won\u2019t be at their best. Working out is best either at 7:30am or 12:00pm (best power performance) and if you\u2019re going to drink coffee, Bears should do it between 9:30am-11:30am or 1:30pm-3:30pm.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Let\u2019s talk about a Wolf?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: The Classic Night Owl<\/strong>. These guys HATE the morning and will guzzle coffee to get their day going. Best to wake up is 8am-9am. They should take it easy till noon, their body and mind are still waking up. From noon to 4pm, they\u2019ll plow through complex tasks, and they\u2019ll get another energy bump around 6pm-10pm. Grabbing a workout or jumping on some creative tasks are best around the 6-10pm mark. Hit the hay around midnight-1:00am. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How about a Dolphin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: These guys are tough. Rather than a set schedule, it\u2019s about getting on a schedule and sticking to it<\/strong> the best they can. They typically only sleep for (4) 90-minute sleep cycles and it takes them close to 40minutes to get to sleep. Their day range looks something like 6:30am-midnight. An ideal schedule is wake up at 6:30am, light tasks from 8am-10am, deep\/complex work from 10-12pm, then creative tasks from 12-4pm.  Their workouts can vary, but early morning workouts can get them going and feeling energized quicker. Due to their insomnia, they should be intentional about winding-down before bed, prepping a couple hours, starting around 8pm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Ok, let\u2019s find out about the best time to have sex!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: There\u2019s never a \u201cbad\u201d time to have sex, from a health perspective, there are numerous benefits! But to have the healthiest sex, it\u2019s all about aligning your hormonal profile<\/strong>. Specifically, the hormones, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, adrenaline, and cortisol. For example, you need testosterone to amp up your sex drive, so why \u201cdo it\u201d when your testosterone is the lowest!  Here are the optimal times for each chronotype: <make this a nice block\/graphic<\/strong>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lion:<\/strong> 6am-7am
Bear:<\/strong> 7am or 9pm
Wolf:<\/strong> 10am or 10:30pm
Dolphin:<\/strong> 8pm\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: But what about if you\u2019re a Lion and your partner is a Bear?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: Great question, you can find these \u201csex based on chronotype pairings<\/strong>\u201d either in the book, \u201cThe Power Of When\u201d or going to this website: https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/best-time-to-have-sex-based-on-your-sleep-chronotype<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How can I find out my Chronotype?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: Here is an easy quiz<\/strong> you can take: www.thepowerofwhenquiz.com<\/a> or read the book \u201cThe Power Of When\u201d by Dr. Michael Breus. They\u2019ll send you some emails, but most of it is informational, I unsubscribed after the first 10 or so.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How strict do you have to be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: This isn\u2019t about functioning; it\u2019s about functioning OPTIMALLY<\/strong> based on some research. It takes into consideration hormonal and other physiological factors driving certain activities. As you get more precise, you getter better results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How closely do you follow your Chronotype and do you notice a difference?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A: As I\u2019ve gotten older, my chronotype schedule has become more relevant<\/strong>. It\u2019s like taking every \u201chelp\u201d I can get. I can\u2019t workout between 4-6pm, so I use the \u201cwaking up\u201d time from 6am-8am for a workout. I also know that after 3pm, I\u2019m toast, so if I need to work on more complex tasks after 3:00pm, I eat well during the day, stay hydrated, drink a little caffeine (I don\u2019t usually), and get extra fresh air\/sun. It gets me another 3hrs or so. It\u2019s helped me to manage and optimize my schedule<\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u201cEarly Bird\u201d doesn\u2019t always get the worm.. Oddly enough, even as a kid, I was always an early morning riser.  So, when my Dad yanked the sheets off the bed on the weekends, I didn\u2019t mind\u2026as much. Now that sleep has finally got its \u201cmedicinal due\u201d, we\u2019re learning more and more about how to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,184,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-higher-education","category-restful-sleep","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proze.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}