Chronotype (body clock)
Your natural body-clock timing — whether you wake, peak and wind down early (a 'lark'), late (an 'owl'), or somewhere in between. It's set largely by your internal circadian rhythm, not just by habit.
Morningness–eveningness (chronotype) is a validated trait in sleep science, measured by instruments such as the Horne–Östberg Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (1976). Pop 'animal' chronotype quizzes, by contrast, are not validated. A reflective self-ID. (Sleep science (chronobiology))
Groups
- Early bird — Wakes and peaks early; fades in the evening.
- Intermediate — Neither strongly morning nor night — a flexible middle.
- Night owl — Comes alive later; struggles with early mornings.
- Variable — Shifts with schedule, season, or sleep debt.
References
- Horne, J. A., & Östberg, O. (1976). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology
- Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms
- Adan, A., Archer, S. N., Hidalgo, M. P., Di Milia, L., Natale, V., & Randler, C. (2012). Circadian typology: a comprehensive review. Chronobiology International
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