The Benefits Of Knowing Your Chronotype To Maximize Your Performance

Tuesday - November 21 2023, 02:17 UTC - 1 year ago

Circadian rhythms are powerful internal timekeepers that drive a person’s physiological and intellectual functioning throughout the day, and your own personal chronotype affects your mental performance. While the evidence of sleep synctrony effect is unclear, understanding your body's natural rhythm can help you time your tasks optimally and improve your performance.

Timing is everything. For early risers and late-nighters alike, listening to your internal clock may be the key to success. From the classroom to the courtroom and beyond, people perform best on challenging tasks at a time of day that aligns with their circadian rhythm.

Circadian rhythms are powerful internal timekeepers that drive a person’s physiological and intellectual functioning throughout the day. Peaks in these circadian rhythms vary across individuals. Some people, known as larks or morning chronotypes, peak early and feel at their best in the morning. Others, known as owls or evening chronotypes, peak later in the day and perform best in the late afternoon or evening. And some people show neither morning nor evening preferences and are considered neutral chronotypes.

As a researcher seeking ways to improve cognitive function, I’ve explored whether your chronotype affects your mental performance. Understanding the kinds of mental processes that vary – or remain stable – over the course of a day may help people schedule their tasks in a way that optimizes performance.

Why your chronotype matters .

Chronotype can be measured with a simple questionnaire that assesses things like your perceived alertness, preferred rising and retiring times and performance throughout the day. Even without a questionnaire, most people have a sense of whether they are a lark or an owl or fall somewhere in between. Do you wake up early, without an alarm, feeling sharp? Are you mentally drained and ready for pj’s by nine? If so, you are likely a morning type. Do you sleep late and wake feeling sluggish and foggy? Are you more energized late at night? If so, you are likely an evening type.

People perform best on many challenging mental tasks – from paying attention and learning to solving problems and making complex decisions – when these actions are synchronized with their personal circadian peaks. This is known as the synchrony effect. Whether you are an air traffic controller scanning the radar, a CFO reviewing an earnings report or a high school student learning chemistry, synchrony can affect how well you perform.

Much of the evidence for synchrony effects comes from lab studies that test both larks and owls early in the morning and late in the day. People with strong chronotypes are more vigilant and better able to sustain attention at their peak relative to off-peak times. Their memories are sharper, with better list recall and more success in remembering "to-do" tasks like taking medication.

People are also less prone to mind wandering and less distracted at their optimal time. For example, a study I conducted gave participants three weakly related cue words (such as "ship," "outer" and "crawl"). They were tasked to find another word that linked all three (such as "space"). When my team and I presented misleading words alongside the cue words (such as "ocean" for ship, "inner" for outer and "baby" for crawl), those who were tested at synchronous times were better at ignoring the misleading words and finding the target solution than those who weren’t.

Synchrony also affects high-level cognitive functions like peformance in the classroom. Results are mixed, but some evidence suggests that if synctrony is maintained, students can earn higher grades and demonstrate better understanding of the material.

Going with the flow .

For those who need to excel in their work or studies, understanding your chronotype may be key to success. While some may thrive in the morning, others may fare better in the evening. Learn to work with your body's natural rhythm to maximize performance.