Kristina Balciunaite
Life and Style Editor
Our sleeping patterns, and whether they are the right fit for us, make a big difference when it comes to our performance and motivation during the day. With class registration coming up, it’s a good time to evaluate your circadian rhythm and adjust your day schedule accordingly, to get the most out of your energy levels.
Although all of us are unique with complex qualities and attributes, there are four main sleep rhythms that apply to most of us. Find your type by answering the following questions. The letter you receive the most will point you to your circadian rhythm type.
1. What activities do you find the most rewarding?
- Solving logical problems, such as mathematics.
- Creating things of artistic value, such as painting, writing or playing an instrument.
- Socializing with people.
- Helping people that are in need.
2. What is your level of worry regarding upcoming exams?
- Not very worried because I trust my ability to prepare.
- A little worried because I know I will procrastinate preparing for it until the last minute.
- There is a test coming up? I totally forgot.
- I am very worried.
3. How do you prepare for tests?
- I study the material systematically, with enough time to review everything before the day of the exam.
- I have an intense study session the night before.
- I watch some YouTube videos regarding the subject I will be tested in.
- I try to set off some time to study almost every day before the exam and stay up late to study the night before as well.
4. What environments do you prefer to study in?
- Complete silence.
- With light background noise.
- While listening to music.
- With a study partner.
5. What field is the closest to your major?
- Sciences, education, business, English/other language.
- Philosophy, art, music, literature, creative writing.
- Communications, media.
- Health professions, psychology.
6. Your favorite color is:
- Red, black.
- Green, blue.
- Purple, pink.
- Yellow, white.
7. What is your relationship to exercise?
- I work out regularly. It’s important to keep your body healthy.
- No time or motivation for it.
- I wish I’d work out more because I want to improve my figure, but it’s just so hard.
- I exercise if I have time, otherwise it is not a priority.
8. How do you keep track of your everyday schedule?
- I have a planner, but I tend to remember everything without it too.
- I make a mental note of my affairs and remember them almost every time.
- I mostly just use Canvas as my planner, but I tend to forget stuff often.
- I am useless without my planner/calendar.
9. How do you approach life?
- As a challenge.
- As an experiment.
- I just wing it.
- I just try to make it out alive.
A – The Entrepreneur
“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” Benjamin Franklin used to say. And just like one of the founding fathers, you are a person who thrives best on a routine that begins early in the morning. As long as you get enough sleep, you don’t mind rising up with the break of dawn. To take advantage of this natural morning energy you should make sure to get the biggest portions of work that requires large amounts of mental activity early in the morning, and have most of your classes in the afternoon, as they require more passive attention and leave evenings for socializing and light homework assignments, such as reading or doing homework quizzes.
B – The Artist
Just like for Leonardo da Vinci, sleep is like a curse in your life. You wish you didn’t need it because then you could get so much done, yet at the same time, getting enough sleep is vital for you to function. Worst of all, no matter how much you sleep, you never get enough to not be tired in the mornings. It is at nighttime that you truly awaken. At this point, you find it easy to get caught up in a project and forget about time. The best time to start the day for you is about 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. challenging classes in the middle of the day, as that is the time that your passive concentration is at its peak, but save the evening/late afternoon for labs and heavy assignments, as that is the time you are the most creative and alert. However, make sure to remove yourself from any work an hour before bedtime, as high mental activity right before sleep will lead to insomnia.
C – The Celebrity
Just like Mariah Carey, being the vibrant and energetic person as you are, you need your beauty sleep to keep doing you. Without sleep, you find it very hard to focus on your daily tasks and you become so groggy that even your closest friends don’t recognize you. Similarly to The Artist, you tend to come alive in the evening. However, you seldom have any trouble falling asleep – you’re the one in your friend group who falls asleep at the weirdest locations, positions and times. The best schedule for you is one that allows you either to sleep in late or one that involves a nap break in the middle of the day. Try to socialize in morning, as that will help you wake up and then get as much work as possible before nighttime, as starting to close to your bedtime will impair your ability to focus.
D – The Saint
Mother Teresa only slept four hours every night, and just like her, sleep for you is not a priority. There is so much that needs to be done in your life that you often forget to sleep, sometimes even eat. Although your energy during the day fluctuates, you don’t find it particularly difficult to focus when you decide to do so. In order to make the best use of this flexible energy, you should alternate between the difficulty of assignments and tasks throughout your day. Start off the day by doing one mentally demanding task to get started and then move over to a lighter attention seeker, such as a lecture class. Spread out your classes throughout the day, leaving breathing room in between them to give you freedom to act accordingly to your current energy level.
Kristina Balciunaite can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @kristinaib.can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @kristinaib.
