Sleep

“President why are you always up so early?” – is a question I am asked every week by one of the missionaries.
My answer usually goes something like this…
“It’s a habit! Ever since I was 11 years old, when I started an early morning newspaper round, I’ve been up before 5.00am.”
However, it’s actually a little more than that…
I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to sleep. I’ve studied it for a while and read several books on the matter.
Some terms I have become familiar with are owls, doves, larks, inbetweeners, circadian rhythms etc.
Have you considered your chronotype? What’s that I hear you say?
In short it describes you sleeping characteristics.
“Chronotype is the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time, or what most people understand as being an early bird versus a night owl. In addition to regulating sleep and wake times, chronotype has an influence on appetite, exercise, and core body temperature. It is responsible for the fact that you feel more alert at certain periods of the day and sleepier at others.” – The Sleep Foundation.
There are four types of chronotype, Lion, Bear, Wolf, Dolphin.
A google search will help you find an online quiz that will confirm your type for you.
• Lion: The lion chronotype stands in for the early bird. These individuals wake up early and are most productive in the morning but may have more trouble following a social schedule in the evenings.
• Bear: The bear chronotype makes up about 55% of the population. People with this intermediate chronotype tend to follow the sun. They do well with traditional office hours but also have no problem maintaining a social life in the evenings.
• Wolf: The wolf chronotype is equivalent to the classic night owl, and is believed to make up approximately 15% of the population.
• Dolphin: The dolphin chronotype is based on the ability of real dolphins to stay alert even while sleeping. Human “dolphins” are best described as insomniacs.
I am most definitely a lion!
There are several good books to read on sleep, including “Sleep” by Nick Littlehales. Or “The Sleep Revolution” by Arianna Huffington.
Top tips.
1 – For me take a nap!
2. Is to find a new place for your smartphone to charge. Put is as far away from your bed as you can.
What type are you?