You’ve probably heard the phrases “early bird” and “night owl” before—but did you know that these terms have to do with your chronotype (the time your body is naturally programmed to fall asleep and wake up)? According to clinical psychologist Michael Breus, it actually makes more sense to divide chronotypes into four animal-based categories: bear, wolf, lion, and dolphin.
Understanding your body’s chronotype is essential to helping you get the most out of your day, and we’re here to help you get started. Hit “Start Quiz” to find out if you're a bear, wolf, lion, or dolphin at heart—and what that means for you and your routine.
Questions Overview
- Between 7 AM and 9 AM.
- Between 9 AM and 11 AM.
- Between 5 AM and 7 AM.
- No idea—I don’t sleep very consistently.
- In the late morning.
- In the afternoon and evening.
- In the morning.
- In the late morning or early afternoon.
- Carefree.
- Creative.
- Motivated.
- Thorough.
- “If the sun can wake up every morning and warm the earth, so can I.”
- “My mind decides to run when normal people sleep.”
- “Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.”
- “My eyelids are heavy, but my thoughts are heavier.”
- That’s fine by me! I might set my alarm slightly earlier to be safe.
- Not really. How about 10 AM instead?
- Okay, but I might leave a little early.
- Sure—it’s not like I’ll be sleeping that much, anyway.
- After I’ve eaten lunch, definitely.
- When I first wake up.
- In the late afternoon and early evening.
- I’m not sure—my energy levels are unpredictable.
- 10:00 AM.
- 3:00 PM.
- 8:00 AM.
- 1:00 PM.
- Sure! I just might go to bed a little later than I usually do.
- Heck yeah! Late-night activities are my jam.
- Okay, but I might leave a little early.
- Why not? I’ll have trouble falling asleep no matter when I go to bed.
- 7:30 AM breakfast, 12:30 PM lunch, 7:30 PM dinner
- 8:00 AM breakfast, 1:00 PM lunch, 8:00 PM dinner
- 6:00 AM breakfast, 12:00 PM lunch, 6:00 PM dinner
- 8:00 AM breakfast, 12:00 PM lunch, 7:30 PM dinner
- At some point in the morning or early afternoon.
- In the evening.
- At the crack of dawn.
- Before I get my day started (so I can burn off some of my nervous energy).
- “You’re such a great team player.”
- “You’re an excellent innovator.”
- “You’re great at staying motivated.”
- “You hold your work to such a high standard.”
- Not much! I fall asleep pretty easily.
- Nothing keeps me up—I just like to stay up late.
- Bold of you to assume I’m not already asleep.
- Anything and everything.
More Quizzes
Fast Facts About Chronotypes
Globally speaking, the scientific community views chronotypes on a general spectrum of night owls, early birds, and everything in between. Dr. Michael Breus specifically takes a more unique approach by categorizing chronotypes into 4 animal-based categories: bear, wolf, lion, and dolphin. According to Breus, these 4 categories do a better job of factoring in a person’s sleep drive, personality, and potential insomnia. Here’s a closer look at each one.
Bear Chronotype
Like bears, people with the bear chronotype aren’t quite early birds or night owls, as they wake up when the sun comes out and fall asleep when it gets dark. Many people fall into this category, which aligns well with many work schedules.
- Best time to eat: 7:30 am (breakfast), 12:30 pm (lunch), 7:30 pm (dinner)
- Best time to drink caffeine: Between 9:30 to 11:30 am and 1:30 to 3:30 pm
- Best time to exercise: 7:30 am or 12:30 pm
- Most productive: Between late morning and early afternoon
- Common personality traits: Laid-back, friendly, and cooperative
- Percent of people with this chronotype: 50%
Wolf Chronotype
Like wolves, people with the wolf chronotype are strong night owls who feel most active and productive in the evening hours. Wolves can have some trouble getting up in the morning, and they often aren’t ready to catch any zzzs until it’s really late.
- Best time to eat: 8:00 am (breakfast), 1:00 pm (lunch), 8:00 pm (dinner)
- Best time to drink caffeine: Between 12 pm and 2 pm
- Best time to exercise: 6:00 pm
- Most productive: Late morning and nighttime
- Common personality traits: Innovative, passionate, and spontaneous
- Percent of people with this chronotype: 15-20%
Lion Chronotype
Just like lions, people with the lion chronotype are strong early birds active first thing in the morning. They’re pretty good at sleeping through the night, and they’re known for hitting the hay early on.
- Best time to eat: 6:00 am (breakfast), 12:00 pm (lunch), 6:00 pm (dinner)
- Best time to drink caffeine: Between 8:00 to 10:00 am and 2:00 to 4:00 pm
- Best time to exercise: 5:30 am
- Most productive: Morning and early afternoon
- Common personality traits: Down-to-earth, hopeful, and driven
- Percent of people with this chronotype: 15-20%
Dolphin Chronotype
Dolphins famously sleep with half of their brain still “turned on”—this is a good way to describe people with the variable dolphin chronotype, who often struggle with insomnia and staying asleep throughout the night.
- Best time to eat: 8:00 am (breakfast), 12:00 pm (lunch), 7:30 pm (dinner)
- Best time to drink caffeine: Between 8:30 am to 10:00 am and 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
- Best time to exercise: 7:30 am
- Most productive: Varies during the day
- Common personality traits: Smart, careful, and meticulous
- Percent of people with this chronotype: 10%
Want to learn more?
Want to take a deeper dive into the world of chronotypes? Here are a few resources to help you get started:
- https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_breus_learn_the_perfect_hormonal_time_to_sleep_eat_and_have_sex/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2017/07/31/55-of-people-reading-this-are-bears/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5479630/
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244017728321
