Sleeping is my drug, my bed is my dealer and my alarm clock is the police.
Are you a lark?
– the early bird catches the worm
According to Matthew walker the author of Why we sleep. Larks account for 40% of the population. Larks are the kind of people that are an enigma to an owl like me. They wake up between 4 am and 6 am they feel refreshed, happy and ready to go. They are the most productive during the morning.
Their energy starts waning around 4 pm and by 8 or 9 pm they are in bed fast asleep. People with this natural sleeping rhythm or chronotype function well within the current societal structures. Larks enjoy the quiet moments in the morning when the kids are asleep and they can then fit in their journaling, meditating, prayer, gratitude lists and visualisation.
These practices are vital for healthy self-care. As the top self-care coach in South Africa, I have seen my clients flourish when adding these self-care tips, tools and techniques to their day.
Lesson: The question remains is the early worm worth catching?
Are you an Owl?
I’m a bit of a night owl because that’s when I feel the most creative and alive.
I am proud to be one of the 30% of the Owl types. I have often been labelled as being lazy by Lark types. To which I quite often would like to yell F@#$ off! Owls go to sleep around 1 am or 2 am they wake around 9 am – 10 am.
During the day their productivity is better if they have permitted themselves to wake up later. They can easily work until about 7 pm. Then eat, feed kids and put them to bed and then go back to work till 1 am.
As for self-care, I suggest to owls that they do their meditation, prayers, journaling and visualisation in the evening. Skipping these vital self-care tips, tools and techniques will wobble anybody’s day.
“The engrained, unlevelled playing field of society’s work scheduling, which is strongly biased toward early start times that punish owls and favour larks.” says Matthew Walker
Listen to your body, there is wisdom in there. Live your best life by acknowledging and respecting whether you are a Lark or an Owl. Embrace it! Your life will change for the better.
Are you a Lawl?
I am both a night owl and an early bird. So I am wise and I have worms.
30% of people are mixed. These chronotypes have the greatest potential to burn out. As they wake early and go to bed late. It is vital that “Lawls” (Larks/owls – my word) themselves with nutrition, exercise and water too.
Are you a Lark, and Owl or an Lawl?
Each person is either a Lark (early riser) Owl (late riser) or a Lawl –(early riser, and late to go to sleep).
According to Matthew Walker the author of Sleep: ” …sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day – Mother nature’s best effort yet contra-death.”
To get the best out of your energy each day, discover which chronotype you are. Sleep at least 8 hours within the correct period and support yourself with other self-care tips, tools and techniques like exercise, great nutrition, lots of water, journaling, emotionally support friends and family, support group, coach or counsellor, meditation, visualisation and prayer.
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