Trying to sleep outside of your chronotype can decrease sleep quality and quantity because your body is not ready to go to sleep or to wake up. Here's more information on how to find your chronotype and get great rest.
Chronotype is a circadian typology that determines when the body shuts down for sleep and is the most alert. Chronotype is determined by internal clocks that drive sleepiness or wakefulness, also known as, the circadian rhythm, and it takes place over 24 hours. Some people's chronotypes naturally make them more alert in the morning (morning birds), while others make them more alert at night (night owls).
Although chronotype is guided by circadian rhythm, they are different processes. The circadian rhythm is the main controller of when hormones peak throughout the day. Genetics controls the proteins that activate the release of these hormones and operate at different times throughout the day. Therefore, they need something to synchronize them, which is the job of the circadian rhythm. Chronotype refers specifically to sleep patterns, when the body craves sleep and when it is the most alert.
Chronotypes are mostly determined by your genetics. So normally, families will have several morning birds and several night owls. It is really determined by melatonin release, which is determined by the amount of light that reaches our eyes. When light reaches our brain, it converts it into a chemical signal, and melatonin is suppressed. When the sun goes down and light exposure reduces, the melatonin system can turn back on. For morning birds, the melatonin system comes on much earlier than night owls, whose system comes on later at night.
Knowing your chronotype is important because sleep-related issues can be tied to having an issue with your chronotype. Knowing what time of day you are most alert and what time of day you are more likely to go to bed can be important for your daily functioning.
It's important to do things such as study, work out, and anything else that requires a lot of energy during the most alert parts of the day. If you're unsure of what that is, then this can lead you to trying to do strenuous activities while your body is on the downward slope of its energy curve.
If you struggle with insomnia or severe sleep deprivation, it can be due to trying to go to sleep outside of your chronotype. Normal schedules normally do not accommodate night owls, so they may find themselves having trouble with insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. There are ways to combat this, such as light therapy and trying to get on a consistent sleep schedule, but if you don't know that this is part of the problem, you don't know how to address it.
There are three major chronotypes. Morning birds naturally rise at 5 or 6 a.m. without an alarm and are ready for bed around 9 or 10 pm. Someone who wakes up at 3 or 4 a.m. and finds it difficult to stay awake past 7 p.m. may actually be diagnosed with advanced phase disorder. This is more common in older adults.
The hummingbird chronotype is where a majority of the population is. There are variations in what time they wake up in the morning and the evening, but they take a little time to warm up before they are ready to go midday. It's like a sweet spot before they're ready to wind down at the end of the day.
A night owl is someone who is still active and alert at around midnight and really has issues getting up between 7 and 8 a.m. However, the extreme form of this is someone who stays awake until 4 or 5 a.m. and sleeps until 12 or 1 pm. They may have delayed sleep phase disorder, and this can be common in many teenagers.
The best way to find out is to see a sleep specialist. They may ask you to complete a survey or questionnaire, wear a device to track your sleep for several weeks, and take other diagnostic measurements to figure out when you are most alert and when you are ready to go to bed. Most of these will require that individuals go to sleep and wake up whenever they please and without alarms. This will give them the best idea of when their natural chronotype is.
Other questions may involve individuals paying attention to which parts of the day they have the most energy and which parts of the day they start to feel the most tired. These sorts of studies can be difficult to do with life because it's not always feasible to not have alarms, but if you can at least go 2 weeks, figuring out what your natural sleep-wake cycle is can really help determine what your chronotype is.
If you feel like your sleep troubles go far beyond just being unable to find a good schedule with your chronotype, then there may be something else underlying. Please click the orange button below to take a free online test and talk with a sleep health professional.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a39764331/chronotype/