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Only 10% Of People Have This Sleep Pattern — What It Means If You're One Of Them
When it comes to getting quality sleep and having more energy, there isn't one approach that will work for everyone.
Instead, there are four sleep chronotypes—bears, lions, wolves, and dolphins—that can give us a better sense of our unique sleep needs and what time we should be waking up, going to bed, etc. (You can find out your type with a quick quiz!)
Board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., specializes in these chronotypes, and his new book, Energize!, co-authored by Stacey Griffith, dives into how each animal can feel their best on a daily basis.
And the rarest chronotype, the dolphin, has some special factors to take into consideration. Here's the lowdown on the rarest sleep chronotype, plus how to work with it.
What is the rarest sleep chronotype?
The rarest sleep chronotype is the dolphin, thought to make up roughly 10% of the population. (Bears are the most common, at around 50%, followed by Lions and Wolves, at around 20%.)
As Breus previously explained to mbg, not only are dolphins the rarest chronotype, but these are the folks who tend to struggle with sleep the most.
The dolphin type is characterized by difficulty falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning, which can make it difficult for them to stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
But the good news is, there are some helpful tips for optimizing sleep and energy if you happen to fall within this 10% of sleepers.
How this type can optimize their energy:
Try to stick to the dolphin's optimal bedtime
According to Breus, dolphins do have an optimal bedtime based on how long they typically sleep and when they typically wake up.
These folks usually sleep for four full (90-minute) sleep cycles, can take up to 40 minutes to fall asleep, and have an optimal wake-up time of 6:30 a.m.
When you do the math, that comes out to a bedtime of 11:50 p.m. (And that means you're actually in bed, sans phone, with the lights off by 11:50.)
Try a sleep-supporting supplement
Because dolphin types can struggle to fall asleep, they may do well to try out a sleep supplement, such as mbg's sleep support+.*
The formula combines highly absorbable and gentle magnesium bisglycinate with PharmaGABA®, a neurotransmitter shown in clinical trials to enhance natural sleep quality, and jujube, a fruit used in traditional Chinese medicine for calming, for a supplement that can help dolphins fall asleep faster and wake up energized.*
Keep a worry journal
Nothing can keep you up at night quite like incessant thoughts and worries.
If that sounds familiar, Breus says dolphins can keep a "worry journal" by their bedside so they can get everything out of their head and onto paper.
In fact, research has shown that taking just five minutes before bed to write down the next day's to-do list can help people fall asleep1.
Take advantage of your productivity window
Each chronotype has windows during the day when they're the most productive, and in the case of Dolphins, Breus says 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is prime time.
With this in mind, you'll want to keep your morning responsibilities on the lighter side and plan to do more important tasks during that specific window.
Don't be afraid to take naps
And last but not least, because dolphins can struggle with their sleep in general, this can mean lulls of energy throughout the day.
When those moments strike, Breus says this type needs to honor that and take a break so they don't get burnt out. Maybe you opt for a quick meditation, or a full-on power nap—whatever it is, take the rest when you need it.
The takeaway
What works for a lion, wolf, or bear is simply not going to work for the dolphin. If you have this finicky chronotype, you may have struggled with sleep in the past, but the right tools can help you clock a night of quality, restorative sleep.
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