May 16, 2008, Newsletter Issue #171: What is Your Sleep Personality?

Tip of the Week

Are you a "Healthy, Lively Lark?" Or are you part of a "Dragging Duo?"

The National Sleep Foundation has categorized our sleep habits into five "sleep personalities" based on the results received from a 2005 Sleep in America Poll. Two of the categories are positive and three are negative. Fifty-two percent of those polled fall into the three negative categories.

The categories are as follows. Which sleep personality do you have?

Healthy, Lively Larks: you are the model citizen of sleep. You almost always get the sleep you need and hardly ever feel fatigued. You are younger than the other groups, often married or partnered and work full time.

Sleep Savvy Seniors: you are the most mature of the five groups (your average age is 60). You get the most sleep of any group. You say you get a good night's sleep most nights, often take two or three naps during the week and hardly ever feel fatigued. You are most likely retired and two-thirds of you are female.

Dragging Duos: you are partnered and employed, work more than 40 hours a week and are often doing job-related work up to an hour before bedtime. You are an early riser. And more than one-third of you say that three days a week, you feel fatigued. Duos report that their partner has at least one symptom of insomnia. Sleep disorders have caused problems in your relationship and in your intimacy with one another.

Overworked, Overweight and Overcaffeinated: you are a night owl who is employed, you have the longest work week of all the groups and you are least likely to work regular day shifts. You sleep less than other groups but nap more with two-thirds taking two or more naps per week. You feel like you need fewer hours of sleep each night to function at your best compared to the other groups and you believe you get as much or more sleep than you need. Members of this group drink more caffeine than other groups. Seven in 10 frequently experience a symptom of insomnia. Your group has a higher representation of males, about one-half of the group isn't partnered and the same amount would be classified as "obese."

Sleepless and Missin' the Kissin': your group has the largest proportion of "owls" and people who think they have a sleep problem or a symptom of insomnia. You are the least likely to say you frequently get a good night's sleep. Nearly one-half of your group feels they are getting less sleep than they need, and the same number says they usually feel tired/fatigued. You are more likely than other groups to say you (or your partner's) sleep disorders have caused significant or moderate problems with your relationship, and two out of five people asked say their intimate relationships have been affected because of sleepiness. The majority of SAMTK's has been diagnosed with a medical condition and you are more likely than other groups to use sleep aids. One-half of this group is employed, and there is a high representation of females.

If you're unhappy with your sleep personality after reading this, experts say not to fret. You can certainly change it by changing your lifestyle choices. It may not be long before you, too, are a "Healthy, Lively Lark!"

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