Note: this article applies to Cyclers using the app with a basal thermometer. If you use a wearable device, please refer to the Oura or Apple Watch sections of Cyclerpedia.
My sleep schedule on the weekend does not differ much from my usual routine
It is okay to measure on the weekends if your sleep schedule does not vary too much from your weekday routine.
It is important to measure at roughly the same time every morning, within 2 hours earlier/later than your usual measuring time for the algorithm to pinpoint your fertile window best.
My sleep schedule on the weekend varies a lot
Changes in your sleep pattern can affect your basal temperature, and for that reason, it is good to take precautions if your sleep schedule varies on the weekends.
If you would still like to measure, it's important to measure at roughly the same time every morning, within 2 hours earlier/later than your usual measuring time, so we recommend that you set your alarm at the same time as on the weekdays (and go to bed as close to the same time as possible). Once you measure, you can fall asleep and read the value later.
Remember that you should always measure as soon as you wake up — before you snooze, sit or get up, drink water, or check your phone, etc.
Another option is to exclude your weekend temperature by selecting ‘Slept differently’. We recommend adding five ‘normal’ temperature readings a week to isolate your fertile window best and increase the number of green days you receive, so it is fine if you sometimes have to exclude your temperatures on the weekend. You can read more about excluded temperatures here.
If you don't measure every day, Natural Cycles' effectiveness as a birth control will not be affected. Logging less temperature data means that you will experience more red days, where protection is needed, which may reduce your satisfaction with Natural Cycles. Learn more here.
Note: If you're struggling with your measuring routine, know that you now have the option to use Natural Cycles with one of our approved wearable devices (the Oura Ring and the Apple Watch). When using Natural Cycles with a wearable device, your temperature data gets measured overnight while you sleep. This means that you no longer need to remember to take your temperature before getting out of bed in the morning! Learn more about using Natural Cycles with the Oura Ring here, and with the Apple Watch here.