You've probably heard of being an early bird versus a night owl, but did you know there are even more ways to describe your sleep cycle? We're talking about chronotypes.
Chronotypes are based on your personality, sleep timing and preference, and sleep drive, and broken down into four categories: bear, lion, wolf, and dolphin. With a quick online quiz — the most popular made by Dr. Michael Breu, clinical psychologist, sleep expert, and author of The Power of When — you can learn how to optimize not only your sleep schedule but also your peak productivity time. To help you get an even better night's sleep, we put together our top sleep accessories to buy based on your chronotype, below.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
Bear
The bear is one of the most common chronotypes, with a sleep cycle that aligns with the sunrise and sunset. According to Dr. Breu, bears have an easy time falling asleep and waking up, usually sleeping between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. They are the most productive in the morning and tend to experience a drop in productivity in the late afternoon.
For bear chronotypes, we recommend a sunrise simulating alarm clock to keep you on your natural solar sleep schedule.
Lion
The lion chronotype is more of a morning person who falls asleep around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and wakes up early, around 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. When it comes to productivity, lions are more focused before noon, so just like the lion's sleep schedule, it's best to get started on your daily to-do list early, too.
For lion chronotypes, we recommend a weighted eye mask to help you wind down from the day early.
Our pick: Gravity Heating/Cooling Weighted Sleep Mask, $50
Wolf
The wolf is the night owl of the group, falling asleep around midnight or later, and has more difficulty waking up in the morning. The wolf is no stranger to hitting snooze a few times and tends to be more energetic by noon. Peak productivity hours for wolves are between noon and four with an additional burst of energy even later in the day.
For the wolf chronotype, we recommend blue light glasses to help with eye strain, whether you're working late at night or staying up watching your favorite TV show.
Our pick: Feiyold Blue Light Blocking Glasses, $15.98
Dolphin
The dolphin chronotype usually has a hard time figuring out a set sleep schedule and is prone to not getting enough sleep. Dolphins are sensitive sleepers and may be easily disrupted by light or noise. While their sleep schedules tend to be sporadic, dolphins typically wake up around 6:30 a.m. and fall asleep around midnight. They tend to be the most productive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
For dolphin chronotypes, we recommend blackout curtains, as they can keep external light out and even minimize noise from outside.