why shop manta sleep
Sleep Like a Beast: How Knowing Your Chronotype Can Lead to Your Best Life
Once upon a time, in the not-too-distant past, sleepers were divided into two camps.
Those who rose with the sun to cheerfully greet the day were categorized as “early birds.”
They’re the ones who came up with expressions like: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” (Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac.)
Those of us destined to be reckless, nocturnal vagabonds, on the other hand, were referred to as “night owls.”
While there are plenty of party animals in this crowd, most are just hardwired with an appreciation for the peacefulness and lack of demands of the lonely nighttime hours.
But this two-bird system doesn’t fit everybody.
And since we were clearly starting to run low on bird analogies, someone had to leap into action.
That someone was Michael Breus, Ph.D.
Stop — Mammal Time
In 2016, America’s Sleep Doctor Michael Breus released The Power of When.
This book proposed that our sleep and activity patterns align closely with one of four animals: the wolf, lion, bear or dolphin.
This builds on scientific classifications known as chronotypes, a field of research launched in the ‘70s by Professor Olov Östberg. They tell you when your body naturally wants to sleep and when it’s ready for action — one size does not fit all!
To live your best life, it’s crucial to understand your personal chronotype.
Once you do, you can start to plan your days around your body's natural energy cycles rather than trying to force yourself through a schedule that clashes with them.
After all, you know what they say about the folly of trying to fight nature…
Lions wouldn’t be the royalty of the savanna if they followed the wolves’ schedule of sleeping in until noon and hunting by moonlight. And dolphins would quickly become prey if they adopted bears’ 8 hours of deep slumber.
The same goes for you: if you try to force yourself to live in a way that’s at odds how you’re wired (your chronotype is actually encoded in your DNA, determined in part by the length of your PER3 gene), you’re not going to be on top of your game. You may feel groggy, off-kilter and unable to focus or feel productive.
Likewise, your sleep will suffer too.
But by adapting to your chronotype you’ll sleep better and get more done. Life’s road will feel a whole lot smoother.
Ready to discover your chronotype? Take our quiz!
Pop Quiz
- Without an alarm, when do you normally get up?
- Before sunrise
- With the sun
- Late morning
- It varies
- When are you ready to go to bed?
- I turn in early
- Whenever the sun sets
- I stay up late
- Always
- When are you most productive during the day?
- Morning hours
- Mid-morning through early afternoon
- Midday until evening
- I get a burst of energy in the evening
- How hard is it to get going in the morning?
- No issues
- Not too bad, but I’m slow to get going
- Difficult because I feel like I’m off-schedule
- Herculean because I frequently wake during the night
- When do you feel an energy slump during the day?
- Early evening
- Mid-afternoon
- Late evening
- I always feel tired because of frequent sleep interruptions
- You describe yourself as:
- A practical, organized leader
- An open-minded, friendly people person
- An impulsive creative type
- An introspective, detail-oriented introvert
If most of your answers were A, you’re likely among the 15 - 20% of the population who are lions. If you answered B, you’re in good company with the 50% of us who are bears. C answers indicate that you’re within the 15 - 20% with the wolf chronotype, while D answers suggest that you’re in the 10% who are dolphins, the insomniacs of the animal kingdom.
Read onward to find out more about your chronotype and tips to get the most from your inner animal. (If the results of the quiz above were inconclusive, read through each to see which chronotype you feel fits you best.)
Chronotypes 101
Lions
Lions are the new early birds. They’re the go-getters, rising early eager for the hunt.
They don’t follow the rules — they make the rules. (Primarily because they’ve already done so before the rest of us have even considered breakfast.)
Conscientious, stable, practical and optimistic are the adjectives that describe the lion’s personality, and they can be spotted overachieving in the office, gym or bedroom.
When they’re not seeking out semi-competitive social engagement, they’re strategizing and making sure that even their contingency plans have contingency plans.
Lions hit their peak well before noon, so if you fit into this chronotype, be sure to coordinate projects that require the most energy and focus for the morning. Your mental acuity will be at its sharpest before 10:00 AM, so the earlier you can schedule important business meetings and make client phone calls, the better. Save your routine tasks for the afternoon when you’re depleted.
The pre-dawn quiet before others have been rousted by their alarms is a perfect time for a 20-minute meditation to clear the mind and sharpen your hunting instincts. A high-protein breakfast — go light on the carbs! — and an early workout will take advantage of that AM lion vitality and get your heart pumping for a day of chasing gazelles (and/or promotions).
Since breakfast will have been hours behind by midmorning, bolster your energy reserves with a protein bar, a handful of nuts or similar high-energy snack.
Lions experience a slump in the late afternoon and coast through the evening, feeling utterly drained by 9:00. Having lunch before noon, followed by a 20- to 30-minute nap at around 1:00 PM, will help to keep your roar powerful.
While a late-afternoon dose of caffeine to keep you going until bedtime may be tempting, this decision could come back to bite you when you turn in for the night.
Instead, have a balanced dinner early and reach for a high-energy snack in the evening: trail mix, banana slices with peanut butter, cereal-topped yogurt, edamame or a boiled egg.
The US Army’s slogan of “We get more done by 9:00 a.m. than most people do all day” was undoubtedly written by a lion. Jobs that start at zero-dark-thirty, such as baker, personal trainer, morning radio DJ, pilot, stocker or mail carrier, are ideally suited to the lion chronotype schedule.
Lions typically operate best with a sleep schedule of 10:00 p.m. - 5:30 a.m.
Manta Sleep Tip: To help you make the most of your nap before noon, try using the Manta COOL and Manta STEAM masks. They block out most light and deliver warm or cool compression therapy.
Manta COOL Mask refreshes tired eyes. Perfect for when you’ve been staring at your screen all morning.
It's great for migraines and sinus pain, too.
Manta STEAM Mask relaxes tense eye muscles with moist compression therapy. If you’ve got dry eyes, it’ll moisturize them to relieve itching and grittiness.
Oh, and by the way, it’s also good for tension headaches.
Wolves
Former night owls, this is your group.
Wolves like to stay up late to howl. The party doesn’t even get started until midnight, and it’s going to keep going like an LMFAO video. Members of this chronotype are the ones hosting 3:00 a.m. art galleries, attending after-after-parties and keeping all-night diners in business.
Mornings are especially brutal for this chronotype, who would prefer to only see 8:00 as a p.m. hour. If you wake to an alarm, set it so that you can hit snooze a couple of times for a more gradual start to your day. As soon as you rise, throw back the curtains to expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible to kickstart your brain.
People with a wolf chronotype schedule don’t hit their stride until early afternoon, with a more significant peak late in the evening. These are the best times for you to channel that wolf creativity and problem-solving intellect. Stick to mundane tasks and busy work earlier in the day as your energy builds.
A nap as your afternoon burst of energy wanes can ensure you’ve got the stamina for your late-night escapades, and an evening cardio routine can help burn off that late-in-the-day restlessness.
As it’s your natural inclination to stay up late, be sure to power down electronics in the evening to prevent them from keeping your brain stimulated (and you from going down the many online rabbit-holes of tantalizing information).
The key personality traits of this chronotype are impulsivity, creativity, pessimism and moodiness (oh well, at least the creative part is positive).
Since wolves are often introverted artists — writers, photographers, musicians, coders — freelancers of this chronotype can capitalize on that nocturnal energy to get a great deal of work done in the distraction-free peaceful hours when the other chronotypes are slumbering (except for perhaps the dolphins — they’ve got it tough).
It’s also a perfect fit for night work: ER staff, air traffic controllers, bar staff, taxi drivers, security guards, emergency service personnel and other positions that work when most of the world is fast asleep.
If your lifestyle permits it, the best sleep schedule for the wolf chronotype is from
5:00 a.m. until noon. However, since obligations may prevent this, coordinate waking as late as possible by getting everything you can ready the evening prior when you’re at your peak.
Manta Sleep Tip: Wolves tend to get most of their sleep done when the sun is high in the sky. And this can pose a real problem to sleep quality because light can make it hard to fall asleep and stay there.
Use a sleep mask that blocks out the world and won’t make you feel hot and sweaty when the temperature rises during the day. Try Manta Sleep Mask PRO.
We pulled out all the stops to create the most advanced sleep mask on the planet. Manta Sleep Mask PRO is 100% blackout and is made from advanced materials for maximum breathability and side-sleeping comfort. An infinitely adjustable head strap and C-shaped eye cups give a personal fit.
Wolves, if you want to keep the light out of your dens, then this mask is all you need.
Bears
No need to worry about hibernation: members of the bear chronotype typically get a solid 8 hours of slumber, with little problem falling asleep at the day’s end. If you don’t get those 8 hours, though, you tend to spend the day lethargic and cranky.
Mornings can be beastly — despite getting a full night of sleep, bears rarely wake up feeling refreshed and raring to go. In short, if you have a bear chronotype schedule, you’re likely not a morning person. But a slow morning start (that first cup of coffee is more golden than a whole pot of honey) you’re ready to face a day of gathering food and socializing.
The first thing a bear will do after exiting its cave in the morning is to have a good stretch. This is an excellent hack for this chronotype. A 10-minute a.m. stretch routine soon after rising will oxygenate the muscles and help to clear the brain fog from the bear’s deep slumber.
Bears are at their most productive later in the morning once they’ve built up some momentum. As you gradually gain speed, use the time to plan out your day. Afterward, a late-morning workout will take advantage of that mounting energy and help burn off the breakfast’s calories.
Though energy levels stay pretty consistent all day long, bears experience a post-lunch dip between 2:00 and 4:00 PM. A late-morning snack after your workout can help counter this; just be sure to keep it healthy, as bears tend to forage and feast out of boredom.
Giving in to that mid-afternoon urge to nap will keep energy levels strong through the evening. After your nap, weather permitting, spend a little time outdoors. The sunlight will help boost melatonin production and keep your steady circadian rhythm running smoothly.
Members of the bear chronotype will often try to catch up on lost sleep during the weekend, but it’s best to maintain your weekday schedule so as not to disrupt that stable sleep routine.
Bears do well with the standard 9-to-5 positions: something that starts late enough to overcome the morning grogginess and ends shortly after the afternoon slump. If your workplace is flexible, you may find a 10-to-6 schedule fits well with your natural bear energy levels.
Personality-wise, bears are commonly cautious, extroverted, friendly and open-minded. The ability to get along so well with others makes this chronotype well suited to office management, politics, event planning and other positions that heavily involve interacting with the public.
The ideal sleep schedule for bears is from 11:00 PM - 7:00 AM.
Manta Sleep Tip: Lucky bears have the least difficulty falling asleep. But they’re prone to sleep disruptions, too. And beware the bear that doesn’t clock in their 8 hours. Lucky bear becomes beastly bear.
Artificial light is one of the most common sleep disruptors out there, especially if you live in the city. We recommend our original 100% blackout sleep mask. It's simple yet highly effective.
Manta SLEEP Mask comes with detachable eye cups and an infinitely adjustable head strap for a fit that’s all yours. It’s 100% blackout and is made from soft and breathable modal fabric. Great for any sleep position, too.
Let’s go (to sleep), bears!
Dolphins
“Always sleep with one eye open” is the motto of the dolphin kingdom, and they take it quite literally: dolphins snooze with only half their brain at a time to be alert for danger (and opportunities for mischief).
Dolphins’ brains are also constantly active, making this chronotype an undersea home for the overthinkers. You know all too well how ruminating over the day’s conversations and running mental simulations of upcoming events can keep you awake.
Cautiousness, introversion and intelligence are the hallmark personality traits of this chronotype. (Along with, we hesitate to mention, neuroticism.)
Dolphins are typically very — sometimes overly — detail-oriented and averse to taking risks. But they’re also quite mindful and excellent listeners: think Guinan from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Dolphins suffer irregular, frequently interrupted sleep patterns, leading to days filled with fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
If you have a dolphin chronotype schedule, you’ll want to skip the snooze button, as that’s just going to reinforce your erratic sleep patterns. A cardio workout first thing in the morning will get the blood circulating and give you a physical and mental boost to face the day. A jog outside will also expose you to sunlight, helping you to become more alert.
Your energy peak will hit between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM (usually with another burst in the evening), so use the time prior to plan out your day and the time afterward for routine work. A 30-minute post-lunch nap is essential to supplement your lost sleep.
An evening stretching or yoga routine will help you make it to bedtime. (But make sure that it’s not too high intensity, or it could affect your sleep.) Follow this with a light, melatonin-rich snack like almonds or cherries. As getting to sleep is already a challenge, be sure to avoid caffeine after noon and alcohol within four hours before going to bed.
Taming the overactive dolphin mind before turning in can help with those sketchy sleep patterns. A bedtime meditation regimen can help calm intrusive thoughts, as can practicing mindfulness throughout the day.
As anxiety is often behind dolphins’ insomnia, speaking to a medical professional could prove very helpful. Talk therapy is excellent, but even putting words to anxious thoughts can put things into perspective and help you sort your feelings, so consider journaling if you don’t already.
Jotting down a to-do list before heading to bed will help to keep upcoming tasks from burdening your mind while you try to sleep. Reaching for a book instead of the TV remote will keep your brain occupied while avoiding electronics’ disruption of your already-shaky sleep patterns.
Dolphins can channel the inherent perfectionism that accompanies this chronotype into detail-oriented professions: editors, musicians, auditors, surgeons, analysts, engineers, astrophysicists and careers that use advanced mathematics.
Though sleeping on a schedule can be especially tricky for this chronotype, shoot for 11:30 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. Don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t sleep; blame it on the tides. If you’re awake for more than 15 minutes during the night, get up and do some light activity until you’re ready to try sleeping again.
Manta Sleep Tip: Dolphins, we feel you. Overthinking is just something you do, but it doesn’t mean you need to compromise your sleep. That’s why naps and a good pre-bedtime routine are so important. And the right sleep mask to go with that, too.
Manta WEIGHTED Mask helps calm your anxiety and improve your mood. Like a weighted blanket, it may help slow down your breathing and heart rate by triggering your parasympathetic nervous system.
It will gently massage the pressure points on your face. And may also signal your brain to release the sleep hormone melatonin and its happy counterpart, serotonin.
Manta WEIGHTED Mask is filled with glass microbeads. These are evenly distributed across the front of the mask and reinforced with stitching. The weight gives the pressure points on your face a gentle massage.
This comfy mask also comes with eye cups to protect your eyes from direct pressure. Oh, and its 100% blackout and infinitely adjustable, too.
Still Can’t Tell? Grab the Thermometer!
If you’re still not sure which chronotype is yours, you can try the temperature test. (You may even have a hybrid chronotype schedule.)
Simply take your temp every hour, starting at 5:00 PM. When your body automatically prepares for sleep, it drops your core temperature, so you’ll notice a drop at a certain time.
If your temperature drops at around 7:00 p.m., you’re likely a lion. Bears’ body temp will start to fall at 9:00 p.m., while wolves’ will do so at 10:00 p.m.
Note that you may have to take readings for a few nights for the best accuracy. And dolphins, since you’re the wildcards, we’re sorry to report that this hack doesn’t work for your chronotype.
Now that you’re (hopefully) sure of your chronotype, let’s take a look at one of the biggest chronotype issues:
What if My Partner’s Chronotype is Different?
With 50% of the adult population falling into the bear chronotype, the odds are in your favor that you’re both bears. But what if you’re a wolf sharing space with a lion? Or a dolphin living with anyone (even another dolphin)?
Some chronotypes will, with a bit of mutual compromise and consideration, be able to adapt and even complement one another’s sleep/energy patterns.
For example, a bear and lion couple should be able to manage just fine as long as the bear understands the lion's need for an earlier bedtime (and the lion can rein in that early-morning enthusiasm during the bear's groggy period).
But when it comes to those from different worlds — the lion and wolf couple mentioned above, for example — it might be worth considering a sleep divorce so you can both be at your best.
We get it, the mere mention of it may have made you tense up and feel a disconnect from your partner. But your loved one’s sleep issues easily become your sleep issues.
Sleeping in different rooms (or even in shifts) isn’t selfish: it can improve your relationship. When you’re well-rested and operating on your peak natural schedules, you’ll both be less irritable and will have the energy to fully enjoy one another’s company.
Sleeping separately isn’t any indicator that your relationship is in trouble — on the contrary, it can prompt you to be more intentional in your intimacy. Schedule some cuddle-time before turning in, sleep together on the weekends and find other ways to replace the closeness of sleeping together — without sacrificing your sleep.
“Wouldn’t it be easiest for one of us to just change chronotypes?” Well…
I Hate My Chronotype; Can I Change It?
Throughout childhood, adolescence and puberty, our chronotypes will change. Toddlers are primarily early-rising lions, while most teens live in the wolf’s territory.
Once you hit your early twenties, though, you’re locked in. And unfortunately, until genetic modification becomes an outpatient procedure, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. (Thanks, Mom and Dad.)
However, that doesn’t mean you’re tied to a specific schedule. Wolves won’t share the lion’s eagerness to rise and shine at first light to conquer the day, for example. But either chronotype can make gradual adjustments within a couple of hours of their optimal schedules and still be at their peak.
The good news: there is an exception. At around age 65, your chronotype will gradually alter, and you may naturally shift over to a lion’s schedule. The bad news: there’s an equal chance that you could shift to a dolphin’s sketchy sleep patterns instead.
But regardless of your chronotype, we’ve got some further techniques we’ve borrowed from the animal kingdom that will help you sleep as well as you can — no matter which type you are.
Tips for All Types
No matter which animal shares your sleep patterns, there are a few other tips you can take with you from the realm of beasts to maximize your energy levels:
-
Mind your den. When you picture an animal’s den, what images spring to mind? It makes us think of a cool, quiet, dark, simple place of comfort — and this is a great way to model your bedroom.
Darkness is among the most important factors in getting a good night of sleep. Even the slightest light in the room is going to impair your circadian rhythms, so block all the light you can.
A set of blackout curtains in the bedroom is good. Also covering the LEDs on power strips and chargers is even better. However, best of all is using a sleep mask that will block all the light from inside your bedroom as well as outdoors.
Animals maintain a simple, tidy den. Keeping your bedroom lair free from clutter won’t just make it easier to navigate — it’ll help reduce your bedtime anxiety, too. This will also provide a more motivational environment in which to wake up. This especially applies to your nightstand: limit it to just the essentials.
And be sure to reach for your thermostat before turning in — sleep experts recommend a temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler temperatures are why our animal friends like to burrow or nest in caves.
-
Stick to a routine. If you’ve ever had to face your pet’s mournful eyes when you feed them five minutes late, you understand how much animals appreciate routine.
And it’s important for you, too.
Waking at a specific time (even on the weekends) will keep your circadian rhythms running smoothly. Working out on schedule, having meals at the same time every day and maintaining a solid pre-bedtime routine will automatically let your mind and body know when it should be ramping up and when it’s time to wind down.
-
Nap. If there’s one area where animals have us beat, it’s catching 40 winks. The reason? Animals don’t fight sleep the way we do — when the urge strikes, even the stubborn mule will doze.
That post-lunch slump is real: part of our natural rhythms includes a natural lull in the afternoon. Give in to this impulse.
It won’t just restore your energy levels — a nap will also make you more alert, sharpen your cognitive ability, sweeten your mood, improve your stamina, and it’ll even boost your immune system!
-
Get into the wild. All that time that animals spend outdoors exposes them to the sunlight that keeps their internal body clocks running like a Swiss watch.
Getting as much natural light as you can during the day will keep yours running well, too. If you work indoors, try to situate yourself near a window or under a skylight. Sweep the curtains open when you first rise in the morning, and take your breaks outside whenever possible.
Since we humans don't hibernate when the weather turns cold (wouldn’t that be nice, though?), you may want to invest in a lightbox of at least 10,000 lux to simulate the sunshine you’re missing during the winter months.
Go Full Beast Mode
To best succeed as a human, you’ve got to follow your animal instincts.
Stop pressuring yourself to go to sleep with the rest of the world and experience a better night’s sleep and a more productive day.
Once you follow your best sleep/wake schedule:
- You can get a better night’s sleep because you only go to bed when you feel tired
- You can schedule meetings according to your peak productivity times
- You will get more out of your day
So lions, don’t try to stay up until midnight. And wolves, there’s no point in trying to sleep at 10 p.m.
Embrace your inner animal and start following your optimal sleep schedule.
Are you a bear? A wolf? A lion? Or a dolphin?
Find out to sleep better.
#sleep #sleepingtips #chronotype #napwithmanta
Sources:
MIchael Breus, Ph. D., "The Power of When." Mindworks, Inc., 2016.
Zakri, Jocelyn. "Chronotypes." Tuck, 18 May 2020, https://www.tuck.com/chronotypes/
Bulletproof Staff. "Your Sleep Chronotype Is the Key to Productivity, Not Being a Morning Person." Bulletproof, 6 mar 2020, https://www.bulletproof.com/sleep/sleep-hacks/sleep-chronotype-circadian-rhythm/
Bright Side Staff. "here's the Perfect Daily Schedule That Corresponds to Your Chronotype." Bright Side. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020., https://brightside.me/inspiration-psychology/heres-the-perfect-daily-schedule-that-corresponds-to-your-chronotype-506010/
Bakker, Bert. "Sleep Chronotypes Determine Your Peak Productivity." Medium.com, 27 May 2020, https://medium.com/@bertbakker88/sleep-chronotypes-determine-your-peak-productivity-aae15dfb3099
Patia Braithwaite, "How a Sleep Divorce Could Make Your Relationship Stronger." SELF, 5 Feb. 2021, https://www.self.com/story/sleep-divorce
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.