Sleep specialist Micheal Breus, PhD, explains that humans can be classified into four different types of sleepers—dolphins, lions, bears, and wolves. Dr. Breus, commonly referred to as The Sleep Doctor, is a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Types of sleepers: lion, wolf, bear and dolphin. The American sleep scientist, Michael Breus, revised the owls and larks model and identified a total of four types of sleepers. Whoever knows what type of sleeper they are can optimise their daily routine accordingly, thus improving their performance.
Your sleep chronotype depends on your genetic makeup. More specifically, your sleep chronotype is determined by the length of your PER3 gene. Individuals with a longer PER3 gene tend to be lion chronotypes, while individuals with shorter PER3 genes are often wolves who need less sleep.
The Wolf Chronotype
Similar to what is considered a “night owl,” this evening chronotype doesn't get going until the sun sets, and they may have difficulty waking up naturally when it comes back up. Wolves are often happy to go to bed at midnight, or well past it, to help fuel their creativity.
People with the Dolphin chronotype tend to be very intelligent, but also high-strung, sensitive sleepers who are often easily disturbed by noise or light. A Dolphin's fragmented sleep patterns often overlap with symptoms of insomnia, which may or may not be indicative of the disorder itself.
Fu and Dr. Ptacek define an "elite sleeper" as someone who, for their whole life, has felt refreshed and energetic after four to six and a half hours of sleep. It's also significant that elite sleepers can function on so little sleep without experiencing adverse short-term or long-term effects.
Side sleeping helps prevent the airway from collapsing and can reduce snoring. "And so, all in all, sleeping on the side — perhaps with their head slightly elevated as long as that's comfortable — is a good way to sleep," says Dr. Krahn.
Ideally, you need four to six cycles of sleep every 24 hours to feel fresh and rested. Each cycle contains four individual stages: three that form non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and one rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Australian Concrete Sleepers are made with Australian grade 40MPa concrete, and have 2 x steel bars inside for reinforcement. Concrete sleepers provide a better option to timber sleepers as they do not rot away over time. They can also be used in many ways to maximise the space and longevity of your garden!
Heavy sleepers don't necessarily sleep more than others, but as mentioned, they may have a harder time waking up and staying awake, even after getting enough sleep. Heavy sleepers may require more time to fully become alert, even after getting the same amount of sleep as someone who is not a heavy sleeper.
H4 treated pine sleepers are resistant to rot and attack by termites and borers, making them suitable for in-ground or ground-contact use, including retaining walls and fence posts.
The most common type of sleeper is the side sleeper, in part because there are so many variations for sleeping on your side (like the fetal position). Side sleeping has many upsides, including the alleviation of insomnia or chronic sleep deprivation and the reduced chance of sleep apnea.
The usual 'rule of thumb' is that one-third of the overall height should be buried: So, if a 2400mm long sleeper was to be used, 800mm would need to be inserted into the ground and concreted in place, with 160mm above ground.
School-age children should go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Teens should try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Adults should try to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
People in pain or discomfort often have difficulty getting deep sleep. Loud noises and bright lights in or near the sleeping environment may also make it difficult to get deep sleep. To get the best possible sleep, sleepers should keep their bedroom dark, quiet, and cool with a comfortable bed and pillows.
Stage 3 and 4 sleep, the most restorative stages, are known as deep sleep. We need about one and a half to two hours of deep sleep a night. In stage 3, very slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.
We have been asked, “should you wear a bra to bed?” and the honest answer is… it's totally up to you! Whether you choose to sleep in a bra (or not) is entirely your choice.
Sleeping on your left side can help naturally open the airways and make breathing easier. You may also find relief if you rest on your right side, but doctors believe sleeping on your left side to be more effective. It's also the recommended sleeping position for people with sleep apnea.
It is very difficult to wake someone during stages 3 and 4, which together are called deep sleep. There is no eye movement or muscle activity. People awakened during deep sleep do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after they wake up.
Cold Sleeping
On the other hand, cold sleepers tend to feel chilly at night, can feel sensitive to cold air, and struggle with retaining heat at night. It can result from improper insulation, poor circulation, and a lack of proper bedding.