According to the ‘Sleep Type Questionnaire (MEQ-SA)’ developed by the University of Munich in Germany, human sleep can be categorised into five types: strictly nocturnal, moderately nocturnal, intermediate, moderately diurnal and strictly diurnal. By answering the 19 questions below, you can determine which of these five types your sleep pattern falls into, which will help you establish a daily routine that suits you best.

Each option is assigned a score; by adding up the scores for all 19 questions, you can determine your sleep type. So, let’s begin.

1. If you were completely free to plan your day, at what time would you prefer to wake up?

• [5] Between 5.00 am and 6.30 am (05:00–06:30 h)

• [4] 6.30 am to 7.45 am (06:30–07:45 h)

• [3] 7.45 am to 9.45 am (07:45–09:45 h)

• [2] 9.45 am to 11.00 am (09:45–11:00 h)

• [1] 11.00 am to 12.00 noon (11:00–12:00 h)

2. If you were completely free to plan your evenings, at what time would you prefer to go to bed?

• [5] 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm (20:00–21:00 h)

• [4] 9.00 pm to 10.15 pm (21:00–22:15 h)

• [3] 10.15 pm to 12.30 am (22:15–00:30 h)

• [2] 12.30 am to 1.45 am (00:30–01:45 h)

• [1] 1.45 am to 3.00 am (01:45–03:00 h)

3. If you have to get up at a certain time in the morning, how much do you rely on an alarm clock to wake you up?

• [4] Not at all

• [3] Slightly

• [2] Quite

• [1] Very

4. In the morning, when you haven’t been woken by something unexpected, how easy is it for you to get out of bed?

• [1] Very difficult

• [2] Quite difficult

• [3] Fairly easy

• [4] Very easy

5. Within half an hour of getting up in the morning, how alert do you feel?

• [1] Not at all alert

• [2] Slightly alert

• [3] Moderately alert

• [4] Very alert

6. How hungry do you feel within half an hour of getting up?

[1] Not at all hungry

[2] Slightly hungry

[3] Moderately hungry

[4] Very hungry

7. How do you feel within half an hour of getting up in the morning?

• [1] Very tired

• [2] Slightly tired

• [3] Moderately alert

• [4] Very alert

8. If you had no commitments the following day, at what time would you choose to go to bed, compared to your usual time?

• [4] Very little later than usual, or not later at all

• [3] Less than an hour later than usual

• [2] 1–2 hours later than usual

• [1] More than two hours later than usual

9. Suppose you decide to take up exercise, and a friend advises you to exercise twice a week for one hour each time, with 7–8 am being the best time. If you were to consider only your own circadian rhythm, how do you think you would perform?

• [4] Very well

• [3] Quite well

• [2] Difficult to manage

• [1] Very difficult to manage

10. At approximately what time in the evening do you start to feel tired and need to go to sleep?

• [5] Between 8 pm and 9 pm (20:00–21:00)

• [4] Between 9 pm and 10.15 pm (21:00–22:15 h)

• [3] Between 10.15 pm and 12.45 am (22:15–00:45 h)

• [2] Between 12.45 am and 2 am (00:45–02:00 h)

• [1] 2.00 am to 3.00 am (02:00–03:00 h)

11. Assuming you wish to perform at your best in a test that is tiring and lasts for two hours, and if you were completely free to plan your time, which of the following test time slots would you choose?

• [6] 8.00 am to 10.00 am (08:00–10:00 h)

• [4] 11.00 am to 1.00 pm (11:00–13:00 h)

• [2] 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm (15:00–17:00 h)

• [0] 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm (19:00–21:00 h)

12. If you were to go to bed at 11.00 pm (23:00 h), how tired would you feel?

• [0] Not at all tired

• [2] Slightly tired

• [3] Moderately tired

• [5] Very tired

13. Suppose, for some reason, you go to bed a few hours later than usual, but do not need to get up at a specific time the following morning. Which of the following scenarios is most likely to occur?

• [4] I would get up at my usual time and not go back to sleep

• [3] I would get up at my usual time but feel drowsy

• [2] I would get up at my usual time and then go back to sleep

• [1] I would get up later than usual

14. Suppose you are due to work the night shift and need to stay awake between 4 and 6 o’clock in the morning (04:00–06:00 h), and you have no commitments the following day. Which of the following options suits you best?

• [1] Go to sleep only after the night shift has finished

• [2] Take a short nap just before the night shift and then go to sleep afterwards

• [3] Have a full sleep before the night shift, then take a nap afterwards

• [4] Have a full sleep only before the night shift

15. Suppose you need to carry out two hours of heavy physical labour. You are completely free to plan your time, taking only your own circadian rhythm into account. Which of the following time slots would you choose?

• [4] 8.00–10.00 am (08:00–10:00 h)

• [3] 11.00 am–1.00 pm (11:00–13:00 h)

• [2] 3.00 pm–5.00 pm (15:00–17:00 h)

• [1] 7.00 pm–9.00 pm (19:00–21:00 h)

16. Suppose you decide to take up exercise. A friend advises you to exercise twice a week for one hour each time, suggesting that the best time is between 10.00 pm and 11.00 pm (22:00–23:00 h). Taking only your own circadian rhythm into account, how do you think you would perform?

• [1] Very well

• [2] Quite well

• [3] It would be difficult to manage

• [4] Extremely difficult to carry out

17. Suppose you were free to choose your own working hours, and you only had to work five hours a day (including breaks), and the work was very interesting, with pay based on your performance. Which of the following time slots would you choose?

• [5] Five hours, starting between 4 am and 8 am (04:00–08:00 h)

• [4] Five hours, starting between 8.00 am and 9.00 am (08:00–09:00 h)

• [3] Five hours, starting between 9.00 am and 2.00 pm (09:00–14:00 h)

• [2] Five hours, starting between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm (14:00–17:00 h)

• [1] Five hours, starting between 5.00 pm and 4.00 am (17:00–04:00 h)

18. Which of the following times of day is when you are at your best?

• [5] 5.00 am to 8.00 am (05:00–08:00 h)

• [4] 8.00 am to 10.00 am (08:00–10:00 h)

• [3] 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (10:00–17:00 h)

• [2] 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (17:00–22:00 h)

• [1] 10.00 pm to 5.00 am (22:00–05:00 h)

19. People can be categorised as ‘morning’ or ‘evening’ types. Which type do you consider yourself to be?

• [6] Definitely a ‘morning’ type

• [4] More of a ‘morning’ type than an ‘evening’ type

• [2] More of an ‘evening’ type than a ‘morning’ type

• [0] Definitely an ‘evening’ type

Add up the 19 scores above to obtain a total score, then refer to the table below to find your sleep type:

16–30: Definitely a ‘night owl’

31–41: Moderately a ‘night owl’

42–58: Intermediate

59–69: Moderately a ‘morning person’

70–86: Definitely a ‘morning person’

Below are the ideal daily routines for people with different sleep types:

16–30:

Bedtime: 02:00 – 03:00

Wake-up time: 10:00 – 11:30

31–41:

Bedtime: 00:45 – 02:00

Wake-up time: 08:30 – 10:00

42–58:

Bedtime: 22:45 – 00:45

Wake-up time: 06:30 – 08:30

59–69:

Bedtime: 21:30 – 22:45

Wake-up time: 05:00 – 06:30

70–86:

Bedtime: 21:00 – 21:30

Wake-up time: 04:00 – 05:00