Do you sleep like a bear, wolf, lion or dolphin? 

Australian sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo says identifying your type of sleeping pattern can help you to wake up feeling more refreshed 

Dolphins are very poor sleepers.

The next time someone complains of feeling tired, ask them if they’re a bear, wolf, lion or dolphin.

Believe it or not, these animals refer to four types of sleeping patterns, or chronotypes, identified by Australian sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo. 

She says these chronotypes can help you understand if you're biologically inclined to sleep a certain way. The four chronotypes also indicate when you are most focused during the day.

If you identify as one of the four chronotypes and want to wake up more refreshed, Arezzolo says you can’t change your type but avoiding caffeine, alcohol and blue light in the afternoon can improve the quality of your sleep - whenever it happens.

She also highlights that poor sleep patterns emerging at this time could be caused by Covid-19 anxiety, not your chronotype.

“Since Covid-19 began the number of people struggling with sleep has almost doubled, but that doesn't mean you're necessarily a dolphin,” she said in a recent interview. 

“This lack of sleep could be environmental factors like being exposed to your phone late at night or being stressed during the day.” 

Bear 

More than half the population are estimated to be bears. They rise with the sun and wind down in the evening, going to bed early. They’re also the ones who feel the 3pm slump after lunch most keenly. Bears are most productive between 8am and 1pm.

Wolf 

Those once described as night owls have taken on the shape of a different kind of predator. Wolves get up late and have more energy at night. They are most productive in the early afternoon and after 6pm. Arezzolo says wolves thrive as night shift workers.

Lion 

There’s no ‘lion around’ for these guys. Lions wake up early and are most productive in the early morning. Their energy drops after midday and they finish working around 3pm. They’re back in bed by evening and fast asleep at 9pm.

Dolphin 

Dolphins are very poor sleepers. They are easily irritated, have a short attention span and they struggle to be productive in the afternoon. The best time for them to get work done is between 10am and 2pm. Arezzolo says they make up 10% of the population. Real dolphins are very light sleepers too - they sleep with one eye open for predators.