Are You a Bear, Wolf, Lion, or Dolphin? (Sleep Chronotype)

[DanielS]

A year or two ago, I was watching a Q&A live stream that a successful entrepreneur was holding. In this live stream, he talked about how the biggest change he had made in recent months that helped him excel was sorting out his sleep pattern. After some questions from the audience, he mentioned that he had taken a quiz to find out his sleep chronotype.

Naturally, I decided to take the quiz after hearing this. Sleep is something I've always valued- maybe even over-valued. Long story short, upon completing the quiz, it was determined that I was a bear. Meaning, I was like 50% of the other people in the world.

Bears tend to go to bed around 11:00 PM and sleep until 7:00 AM- the typical 8-hour, 9-5 sleep pattern. Funnily enough, I used to sleep more than this at the time of taking the quiz. I used to be able to sleep for 9 hours straight without waking up once.

Now, you might be saying to yourself: "Okay, so you're a bear- what's the big deal?" Well, I don't think I'm a bear anymore.

You see, I had a mini health scare one early morning when I was laying in bed in November 2019. I had been dealing with a health issue at the time and I had been doing a lot of Google searches to try and find out what the issue was. When I woke up early one morning and was laying in bed, I thought that something had happened to me that I had learned a lot about through my Google searches. As you can probably guess, nothing was wrong with me, and the doctor at the hospital made sure to inform me of this when I visited him in a panic that early morning at around 5:45 AM.

Since this incident, I've always had a bit of anxiety when it comes to laying in bed. Basically, I won't lay in certain positions because I only feel "safe" when my body is positioned in certain ways. Of course, all these "safe" sleeping positions aren't ideal, but if I don't lay in them, I literally won't sleep.

Over the past few months, I've taken the same sleep quiz I took a few years ago after the live stream, and I've gotten a different result. According to the quiz, I am now a dolphin, which means I should only be sleeping for around 6 to 6.5 hours each night to help negate the effects of my restless and light sleeping pattern. The thing is, this goes completely against the whole "get 8 hours of sleep" suggestion that we always hear.

What I'm wondering is- could my sleep pattern have changed, or do I have that much anxiety regarding sleep and sleeping positions? I don't have a full-blown panic attack or anything when I lay in bed, I just don't allow myself to lay in certain positions because I don't feel "safe" when I do so. I do possess all the characteristics of people that tend to have the dolphin chronotype, so maybe my sleep pattern has simply changed based on my lifestyle adjustments? BTW- My diet is better than it's ever been and I don't drink coffee or energy drinks.

Also, have you ever taken a quiz to find out your sleep chronotype? Do you think chronotypes are a crock or do they hold some weight?

 

[Ryuzaki]

I'm a bear, it says. I can't be bothered to watch a 15 minute video to explain it all though, knowing it's just a squeeze video to get me to buy something.

In my opinion, you sound like you developed a slight phobia (anxiety). If my sleep gets interrupted and I wake up in the middle of the night, there's a 50/50 chance that I'll find that my body is in a high anxiety state. I think this is because this is when we're in REM sleep and processing the day and past events and some of that is anxiety provoking.

This sounds like what you experienced to me. You read a bunch of anxiety-provoking stuff, fell asleep, and your brain started processing it and you woke up in the middle of it. Naturally, especially in the daze of sleep and since it's literally on your mind at that moment, you think it happened to you.

Is it some kind of suffocation fear like your face in the pillow or choking on vomit?

Assuming these chronotypes are real enough, I can imagine a person's chronotype could change over time. Especially if you're one of the hybrids where it'd be much easier to be dominated by one or the other with slight changes.

 

[DanielS]

Is it some kind of suffocation fear like your face in the pillow or choking on vomit?

It's more like I wake up to check and make sure "everything is where it should be" on my body. If my body moves into a position that isn't "safe" then it's like I have to re-check and make sure nothing is out of place.

 

[Ryuzaki]

It's more like I wake up to check and make sure "everything is where it should be" on my body. If my body moves into a position that isn't "safe" then it's like I have to re-check and make sure nothing is out of place.

I'm not your therapist and don't want to be but I would try very much not to get yourself worked up about or buy into the idea of "bodily integrity" issues, especially the ones you're describing where some internal organ shifts inside because you slept on your left side instead of your right side, or you're killing your sperm count because your balls got too hot or get pushed up in an undescended placement, etc.

If you believe in God then God has done a pretty solid job of creating us. If you believe in evolution then our bodies have been tested and developed over the zillions of years. The last thing that's going to fail us is one of the fundamental basics such as sleeping. We're designed to sleep and we do it very effectively.

Treat yourself kindly, man! Don't fuel the fire. Go ahead and sleep in the unsafe position and you'll see it's all good.

 

[DanielS]

I'm not your therapist and don't want to be

I don't blame you, haha

I would try very much not to get yourself worked up about or buy into the idea of "bodily integrity" issues, especially the ones you're describing where some internal organ shifts inside because you slept on your left side instead of your right side, or you're killing your sperm count because your balls got too hot or get pushed up in an undescended placement, etc.

I'll just come right out and say it- it's testicular torsion that's got me all anxious (if you don't know what that is already, do not bother looking it up).

If you believe in God then God has done a pretty solid job of creating us. If you believe in evolution then our bodies have been tested and developed over the zillions of years. The last thing that's going to fail us is one of the fundamental basics such as sleeping. We're designed to sleep and we do it very effectively.

Can't argue with this!

 

[JamaicanMoose]

I'll just come right out and say it- it's testicular torsion that's got me all anxious (if you don't know what that is already, do not bother looking it up).

Man, sounds like you need a cock cage and a therapist.

 

[Upsilon]

I have a friend who had that issue more than 10 years ago. Basically, if your testicle twists, it starts hurting when you are sitting down and it can get to the removal if you don't undergo surgery within a few days.

However, you have a few days before it gets to the actual removal. So, generally speaking, if one is not a nutjob (see what I did here?) and actually goes to a medic if pain persists for 2 days, then a small incision will sort out the issue.

Also, 1) my friend has never experienced it after undergoing surgery to twist it back in place 2) it happened because he was sleeping butt naked and 3) he is still sleeping butt naked and yet never happened since.

Conclusion: get some tight boxers and, to paraphrase the Hodge Twins, sleep in whatever the fu*k position you want to sleep!

 

[MrSanti]

Also, have you ever taken a quiz to find out your sleep chronotype? Do you think chronotypes are a crock or do they hold some weight?

Unless there is scientific evidence about it, I wouldn't trust this stuff. Looks like a which Hogwarts house would you be in.

What I'm wondering is- could my sleep pattern have changed, or do I have that much anxiety regarding sleep and sleeping positions?

Since you were able to sleep properly, this is an anxiety problem. It's normal, even my balls hurt after reading this haha.

I took a quick look to testicular torsion on a health site, and I see two options, with the same outcome:
- A medic diagnosed you with testicular torsion, if this was the case you probably had go through a surgery, so the problem is already solved.
- Looking online, you though that you had testicular torsion, self diagnosed, and after visiting the hospital, they told you that, in fact, you don't have it.

In both scenarios your balls are fine, so the only thing making you anxious is probably the fear of it happening and losing a ball. As it's not going to happen, the best way to remove that fear is to face it.
Just go ahead and sleep in whatever position you want, yes, you will feel more anxiety, and your mind might even make that your balls hurt by thinking about it, but just let it come up, after doing it a few times, that anxiety will slowly go away, after you realize that nothing happens.
The important thing here is to let your mind and body feel and think whatever it needs, don't try to avoid it or force it, it might take a bit of time. After sleeping and sleeping in whatever position you want every night, the fear will go away.

 

[Zach]

Ya being a hypochondriac is an obstacle, but an obstacle to overcome because it's rooted in fallacy. This post may be my own diary, but maybe someone will get value from my learnings.

I've had my own past issues that keep me up at night. I've gone to the hospital for pains and they do all tests they can and come back with nothing abnormal at all, just "welcome to the 30+ club".

Body does weird, unexplainable shit. So does your mind.

After further reflection, I've since learned from my OCD tendencies in this regard.

Nothing has come from any of these "keep me up at night" issues. The real deal is that life is full of this kinda crap and it's mostly out of your control anyways.

Recognize what you can, but realize what is in your control vs not in your control.

1000% illogical waste of time and life to worry about things that are either made up or not in your control anyways.

Everyone here has this disastrous, severe medical condition of being human which means we'll pass in like 60 years on the high side...nobody gets out alive. Don't waste the years worrying about how you'll go.