My sleep cycle has always reflected whatever job(s) I was working at the time; before that, it reflected whether I'd planned ahead well enough to avoid taking any 8 a.m. undergrad course requirements; and before that, well, I was a baby. But regardless of these extenuating circumstances, I've always liked both late nights and a lot of sleep. Impractical? Not in Spain, apparently. Thanks to a new sleep study, which identifies which country you sleep like, I now know that I sleep most like a Spanish woman. So I am moving to Spain. Right after I learn Spanish and get a Spain-based job. Baby steps.
Mathematicians from University of Michigan used a free app market to jet lag sufferers, Entrain, to gather data about sleep habits from thousands of users from over 100 countries. The results are pretty fascinating: Despite everything we know about sleep patterns, circadian rhythms and REM cycles, it seems that cultural pressure and obligations tend to trump inherent inclinations.
Despite these country-specific sleep habits, there do seem to be general patterns: On average, women get about 30 minutes more sleep per night than men, which is made up by going to sleep earlier and waking up later, and middle-aged men get the fewest hours of sleep, often hitting just at the seven-hour mark.
TIME then went and created a widget designed to take your bedtime and waking time and tell you which country, according to this study, you sleep like. So which country most closely matches your sleep habits? Let's take a look at a few:
1. If You Go To Bed At 12:30 a.m. and Wake Up At 8:00 a.m....
I figured we'd just start with me, a freelance writer/editor/bookseller. My life is pretty chill right now, and while I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to sustain this lifestyle once grad school begins, I am currently keeping hope alive. And also planning a trip to Spain.
2. If You Go To Bed At 10:00 p.m. and Wake Up At 6:00 a.m....
People do live like this, or so I've heard. You probably have a nine-to-five-or-six and are admirably dedicated to beginning your day with a workout. Or you're a parent. Or you're Belgian.
3. If You Go To Bed At 11:30 p.m. and Wake Up At 7:30 a.m....
You might be a nine-to-five-er who doesn't work out in the mornings, because you know that mornings are for coffee and fussing about being up so early and not much else. Men from the United Arab Emirates know what's up.
4. If You Go To Bed At 1:00 a.m. and Wake Up at 7:15 a.m....
You're a very sleep-deprived college student. I'm very sorry.
5. If You Go To Bed At 11:00 p.m. and Wake Up At 7:30 a.m....
You're living the good life. 8.5 hours a night is the bomb. I bet you eat avocado toast every morning and drink, like, good Italian coffee every morning, too.
