Away with morning or evening people: you are a dolphin, lion, bear, or wolf

Are you the first to jump out of bed in the morning whistling and singing, showering and smiling at life? Or are you the one who is still not tired long after midnight?

You've heard it for ages: you are a morning or an evening person. I even make jokes about the boys in my belly: I really feel them tickling and being active more often in the evening. So they will be party animals. But it turns out that it’s not so simple, that you are either an early bird or a night owl. No early bird or night owl here. According to Michael Breus, also known as the sleep doctor, you are actually a lion, dolphin, bear, or wolf.

Aha. A what? You have a chronotype of sleep. That sounds complicated and until now you probably never thought about it, but it exists. So you can actually be four different types, not just two. Pay attention, here they come.

Leo

If you are bursting with energy every morning and do a little dance while getting dressed, then you are a lion. My husband is one of those. Exhaustingly, sorry. So active in the morning, so cheerful, always singing and cheering and juicing. I’m still half in a coma like a hibernating mole. About 15 percent of people are lions when it comes to energy. But the energy is also on time: preferably the light goes out at 10:00 PM.

Bear

The majority of people are bears, about 55 percent. You are a deep sleeper and you love to sleep. At least eight hours a night, if you can choose. A nap in the afternoon is also no problem for you. But during the day you can be very active and get things done, finish your work and hustle. Around 11:00 PM you find it enough in the evening and crawl into your bed in.

Wolf

The wolf is, eh, quite grumpy when the alarm goes off. Do you snooze into infinity and can’t be dragged out of bed? Nothing to be done. Certainly not for 15 percent of people. Only in the afternoon do you feel a bit like yourself. In the evening you are cheerful and around midnight the party can begin. You also go to sleep after midnight. Maybe I am this, but I hardly dare to say it. I hate getting up early. Always have. That’s something I know for sure.

Dolphin

About 10 to 15 percent of people are real dolphins. You wake up faster at night and you also wake up from every beep you hear in your bedroom. You also don’t fall asleep easily. In other words: you are a light sleeper and because of that, you can sometimes be sluggish during the day. Definitely don’t take naps during the day, because then you’ll only have a harder time sleeping. And don’t go to bed too early, no matter how tired you are. Otherwise, you’ll still end up with a broken night. You can best take a nap around half past eleven.

It's handy to know what chronotype you have. That way you know exactly when you can best be left alone. It saves a few big arguments at home.