Life

This Is The Best Nighttime Routine For Your Myers-Briggs Type

by Carolyn de Lorenzo

While lavender eye pillows and a favorite meditation track might be your ticket to a great night’s rest, we all experience a sleepless night from time to time. Whether you love to greet the early morning dawn each day, or prefer the late-night hours, understanding your personality type might help you fall asleep faster at night — because who wouldn't want a couple extra minutes of shut-eye?

The Myers-Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) test divides everyone into sixteen distinct personality types, and highlights the ways in which differing personality and psychological preferences play a role in our day-to-day decision making processes, how we take in information, and how we interact with the world around us. The MBTI test can give us some keen insights into our own behaviors, and those of our friends and families, too. What works best for one type isn’t always so great for another, but whatever helps us achieve greater understanding of ourselves and others is a good thing.

So what does this all have to do with sleep? It turns out that understanding your Myers-Briggs type may help you hone in on those bedtime habits that help you wind down each day, and optimize your sleep quality at night. A recent sleep survey by Mattress Advisor surveyed over 1,000 Americans, and found that sleep habits can vary pretty dramatically based on personality type. Here's how your Myers-Briggs type might be influencing your sleep patterns.

ISTJ

ISTJs are often characterized as organized, routine-oriented, and dependable — these folks are great planners. Structured, consistent bedtimes and pre-bedtime routines tend to encourage the best quality sleep for this type. Going to bed at the same time each night, and getting up at the same time each morning, will encourage a great night’s rest for ISTJs.

ISTP

ISTPs are gifted problem solvers, and are great at staying calm in a crisis. Adventurous, spontaneous, and analytical, this type tends to get stressed with too much noise, small talk, or outsized emotions. Creating a calm, quiet sleeping environment, and winding down stressed thoughts each night will help ensure good rest. You don't have to solve the all the problems of the world right now — maybe practice mindfulness before hitting the sack.

ESTP

This type is outgoing, versatile, resourceful, and flexible, and isn't so keen on rigid structuring, routines, or isolation. If you're an ESTP, you might prefer a somewhat later, though consistent, bedtime, and journaling any worried thoughts (maybe on your way home from your after-work drinks) before sleep should help you wind down and doze off.

ESTJ

Decisive, structured, practical, and organized, ESTJs are great at organizing teams and reaching goals. This type favors proven procedures, and tends to get stressed when established rules and expectations are undermined. This type is the consummate creature of habit, and structured routines and a good nightly wind-down will yield the best rest. Limit yourself to one chapter of a good book (not too stimulating or complex), or your favorite show, and aim to doze off at the same time each night.

ISFJ

ISFJs are devoted, loyal, sensitive, detail-oriented, and service minded. Conscientious, and equipped with an innate love of rules, this type doesn't like conflict, emotional invalidation, or last-minute changes in plans and routines. Create a quiet, peaceful setting in your bedroom to optimize sleep and rest, maintain a structured routine, and keep the screens out. Surround yourself with pictures of your favorite people, and make an entry in your gratitude journal each night before sleep to focus your thoughts in positive ways before rest.

ISFP

Those with ISFP preferences thrive on service, dedication, a sense of personal values and cooperation, and dislike time pressure, disruptions, and too much going on at once. Following a relaxed bedtime routine, while falling asleep to a nature sound track or white noise machine, can help you rest — and some meditation can help you wind down stressful thoughts, too.

ESFP

If you're an ESFP, you're easily the life of every party. Playful, fun-loving, and outgoing, you thrive on cooperation, social engagements, and conversation — not so much with lots of routine, super detailed plans, or a lack of flexibility with commitments. You're sensitive and responsive to external stimuli, so it's helpful for you to minimize distractions and noise before bed. Invest in some black out curtains, an eye mask, or even ear plugs, and tune out the world when you turn in.

ESFJ

ESFJs love harmony, order, and value a strong sense of family and community. Isolation, a lack of emotional support and validation, and challenging the status quo in terms of routines and procedures can cause stress for this type. Asserting your emotional boundaries, and having an outlet for stressful thoughts — like a journal — will help you release the tendency to worry about others too much, especially right before bed.

INFJ

INFJs are fueled by an innate capacity to help, support, and inspire others to grow. Visionary and empathetic, this type dislikes rigid time management, inflexibility, disorder, and conflict. A relaxed bedtime routine combined with meditation and spiritual practice in order to wind down stressful thoughts, is a great way for you to cap off your day. Don't worry about being perfect with your routine, either — just find what works best for you.

INFP

INFPs are great creative problem solvers, tend to be complex, sensitive and introspective, and place a high value on relationships — routine, harsh criticism, large crowds or groups of people, and feeling rushed tend to stress this type out. You may tend to revisit and analyze conversations or disagreements you've had during the day before sleep; focus on relaxation and uplifting thoughts before bed via guided meditation, reading something inspiring, or some calming music.

ENFP

ENFPs tend to be highly creative, imaginative, and expressive. With a strong independent streak, and a persuasive, curious nature, this type thrives in supportive and cooperative environments — rudeness, feeling pressured to make decisions, and too many obligations don't bring out the best in ENFPs. Sleep wise, you may need to start winding down pretty early. Try to ditch the screens as early as you can, and focus on calming activities — like a good book, a hot bath, or some essential oils.

ENFJ

ENFJ types love being part of a team, and tend to be people-oriented and diplomatic. Compassionate and supportive, this Myers-Briggs type gets stressed by a lack of harmony in the environment and unexpected changes in plans. This type tends to have a super active mind, so the less distraction and stimulation before bed the better. Ditch the screens, do some light stretching, and reflect on positive interactions you had with others earlier in the day before turning in.

INTJ

INTJs love to solve complex problems, and tend to be decisive, insightful, and good at long-range planning. Mindlessly following rules and being micromanaged are not this type's cup of tea. This personality type is especially prone to lots of busy thoughts, so if you're an INTJ, find a sure fire way to clear and quiet your mind before bed each night; maybe try some guided meditation, a nightly walk, or some light yoga — find what works for you.

INTP

This Myers-Briggs type is a strong strategic and conceptual thinker. They thrive on analyzing complex problems in innovative ways, and tend to be pretty introverted — with an aversion to rigid ideas about how things should be done. If you are one such sensitive and intelligent soul, avoiding late-night blue light from screens and reading a good book are your best bets for ensuring good sleep quality each night.

ENTP

This type loves a good challenge, and tends to be great at inspiring others to take action. Good at identifying new opportunities as they arise, ENTPs aren't at their best when they feel bored or inundated with too many details. This type tends to put off going to bed, and often likes to stay up late. If you're an ENTP, try to wind down in a relaxed way — without pressure — before bed.

ENTJ

These folks are great leaders — they tend to have their eye on both the ball and the big picture. Confident and action-oriented, ENTJs prefer decisive planning over inefficiency and indecisiveness. If this is your Myers-Briggs type, try to optimize your sleep quality each night with some bullet journaling as you wind down. You can process out problems and stressful thoughts, while jotting down any new ideas that may arise. You might be more of a night owl than some other types, but be sure to commit to a set time every night for lights out.