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Can You Change Your Chronotype?
Can you change your chronotype? Read this to find out. Plus, information on the different chronotypes. And how to align yours better with your daily schedule.
First things first, what is a chronotype? Put simply, chronotypes are classifications of your body’s natural sleep and activity patterns. Identifying and understanding yours significantly impacts your daily schedule, efficiency and overall health.
In case you didn’t know, there are 4 chronotypes: bear, dolphin, wolf and lion. The chronotypes concept was introduced by Dr. Breus under copyright in his 2016 book The Power of When and later, on SleepDoctor.com(1).
We’ll delve deeper into what chronotypes are in a bit. Read on to know the points of interest that this article will discuss.
Table of Contents
Chronotype: An Overview
Before we answer whether you can modify your chronotype, let’s take a closer look at what it is.
A chronotype is your body's natural inclination toward sleep and awake times. It influences not just your sleep-wake cycle, but also your appetite, exercise habits, and body temperature. It can also impact your energy levels and productivity. And it’s largely influenced by genetics.
Now let’s learn more about each of the 4 chronotypes:
Lion Chronotype
Those with the lion chronotype schedule get up early and are most productive in the morning. Energy levels are at an all-time high mid-morning and start to lower in the afternoon. A nap after lunch gives lions an energy boost for evening activities.
Lions are charismatic and often hold leadership positions at work. They’re usually fit and prioritize their health.
Wolf Chronotype
Now if you have a wolf chronotype schedule, you’re also known as a night owl. You likely sleep past midnight and are most energetic in the evening.
Time your most important tasks in the evening. Does your work schedule mean you have to get up early? If so, finish most of your most challenging tasks the night before. And make sure to soak up the morning sun when you get up.
Bear Chronotype
If you have a bear chronotype schedule, what then? Well, you follow the solar cycle. Your energy levels peak in the daytime and dip in the evening. But unlike lions, you’re groggy when you get up in the morning. That’s why it’s important to eat a good breakfast to get you rolling.
Reserve your more challenging tasks for mid-morning to early afternoon. A brisk walk in the early afternoon will help you battle lower energy levels after lunch.
Dolphin Chronotype
Those with a dolphin chronotype schedule struggle with irregular and disrupted sleep patterns. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when they are most alert.
The wisest thing to do is to sleep when you can. You’re typically most energetic in mid-morning to early afternoon. So, work on less challenging tasks early in the morning. And save the big ones for when your energy levels are highest.
The Science Behind Changing Your Chronotype
Sleep scientist Dr. Charlotte Edelsten told Reader’s Digest that a chronotype is mainly determined by the PER3 gene(2). Essentially, this means your chronotype is encoded in your DNA. Therefore you can’t intentionally modify your natural inclination towards a particular sleep-wake cycle.
Associate professor of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University, Dr. Steven K. Malin, told Medical News Today that your chronotype can change as you age(3). For example, teenagers usually stay up late. This progresses towards “earlier wakefulness” as you grow older.
In Sleep Doctor, Dr. Michael Breus says: “Although your chronotype may change throughout the course of your life, you can’t purposely change or retrain it.(4)”
But this doesn't mean you're completely powerless over your sleep patterns. Sure, you can't alter the genetic factors that set your chronotype. But there’s one area you can control: daily exposure to light.
Light Exposure: An Alternative to Changing Your Chronotype
Research emphasizes the crucial part that light exposure plays in controlling our patterns of sleep and wakefulness.
An element that influences your sleep patterns is natural sunlight. In this fast-paced world, people are often deprived of it. Work keeps you indoors for most of the day. Or you can’t seem to fit in getting your daily dose of sunlight due to a hectic schedule.
This deprivation can lead to a disrupted body clock or even move your sleep-wake schedule later. By getting enough natural light, you can align your chronotype to your day, and optimize the timing of your daily activities.
Making changes to your sleep-wake schedule depends on your lifestyle and light exposure. So, if you're currently not getting enough natural light during the day and too much artificial light, you have more potential for change. Exposure to natural light also upgrades your sleep quality and boosts energy levels and productivity.
But the point isn’t to change your chronotype. It’s more of working with your body instead of against it. This way you’ll maximize these benefits for better overall health and well-being.
Practical Steps to Align Your Chronotype With Your Lifestyle
Okay so now you know you can’t pull off a major chronotype transformation. But you can make small yet impactful modifications to better synchronize it with your lifestyle. Consider these steps:
1. Get Enough Natural Light During the Day
Help your internal clock tick forward by getting sunlight during the day. This will gradually shift your internal body clock to an earlier schedule.
Try spending at least 2 hours outdoors, ideally in the morning. Can’t get out? Park yourself near windows as much as possible. That way you’ll soak up the natural light coming in.
2. Reduce Nighttime Artificial Light Exposure
Exposing yourself to artificial light at night makes it harder to fall and stay asleep. It can push your internal body clock to a later time.
Stop the scrolling and late-night series bingeing. Put a cap on screen time at least 2 hours before hitting the sack. And if you have no choice but to sleep with the lights on, consider a 100% blackout sleep mask from our collection.
3. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Maintain a sleep schedule to adjust your sleep-wake cycle. Strive to hit the hay and wake up at the same time daily. (And we mean weekends, too.) This will help regulate your body clock. And this, in turn, will help improve your sleep quality.
4. Time Your Daily Activities
Organize your day-to-day tasks, according to your energy levels throughout the day.
For instance, the lion chronotype benefits from planning important tasks and meetings early in the morning. On the flip side, someone with a wolf chronotype would be better off scheduling these types of tasks in the evening.
Can You Change Your Chronotype: Yes or No?
Based on modern science, you can't dramatically alter your chronotype. But, you can influence its expression through light exposure and making clever adjustments to your day-to-day activities. Understanding and working with it helps you optimize your daily performance.
But we get it. The idea of changing your chronotype sounds tempting, especially if you're grappling with sleep disorders or productivity issues. But you need to keep in mind that yours isn’t a defect that needs to be fixed. It's intrinsic to you and accepting it can pave the way for a healthier and more productive lifestyle.
Our advice? Lion, wolf, bear or dolphin — embrace and harness your chronotype instead of going against it. Doing so will enhance your sleep quality, boost your efficiency, and in the end, guide you towards living your best life yet.
Sources:
(1) Sleep Doctor, sleepdoctor.com. Accessed 20 December 2023.
(2) “What’s your chronotype and can you change it?” Reader’s Digest, www.readersdigest.co.uk/health/wellbeing/whats-your-chronotype-and-can-you-change-it. Accessed 20 December 2023.
(3) “Night owls’ may have greater type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk than ‘early birds’” Medical News Today, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/night-owls-have-higher-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-than-early-birds. Accessed 21 December 2023.
(4) “How to Become a Morning Person” Sleep Doctor, sleepdoctor.com/sleep-faqs/how-to-become-a-morning-person/. Accessed 21 December 2023.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this website or provided through our blog, e-mails, or programs is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment that can be provided by your healthcare professionals.