October 2021: Chronotypes

October 11, 2021 Jessica Orner

This month's wellness talk is on learning the rhythm of our bodies.

I'm currently fascinated by Dr. Michael Breus, PhD's work on chronotypes. In Greek mythology, Chronos was the personification of time. A person's chronotype is their genetic tendency to sleep at a certain time of day. Think of night owl vs. early bird. Following our natural rhythm (when able) can have all sorts of benefits for our health.

Research suggests that our chronotype is more permanent than our circadian rhythm and may be linked to the PER3 circadian clock gene in our DNA. While we can adjust our circadian rhythm by sticking to a strict schedule, it's almost impossible to intentionally change our chronotype. It can, however, change over our lifetime. For example, most children are early risers and then become night owls in their teenage years.

Dr. Michael Breus's work describes four main chronotypes: lion, bear, wolf and dolphin. Lions are the early risers and tend to be most productive in the morning. They also tend to get tired in the evening. Bears tend to rise with the sun, be more productive during the day, but also be able to stay up for some evening activities. On the other end of the spectrum, wolves typically stay up late and sleep late, while dolphins are light sleepers and tend to have insomnia. (It's important to note that different researchers may have different animals or terms to describe the various chronotypes.)

Beyond our sleep patterns, chronotypes can also affect our appetite, exercise, productivity, and mood. For example, if you are an early riser, early morning may be a wonderful time to work on tasks that require a lot of focus. As your energy starts to wane in the afternoon, that may be a suitable time to work on the more creative tasks on your list. Early risers may also want to exercise in the afternoon to given them the energy boost they need for evening social events.

Like I said, fascinating stuff.