Note: this article applies to Cyclers using the app with a basal thermometer. If you use an Oura Ring, please refer to the Oura section 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 differ too much from your weekday routine.
To enable the algorithm to best pinpoint your fertile window, it is important to measure at roughly the same time every morning, within 2 hours earlier/later than your usual measuring time.
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 is 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 then fall back asleep and read the value later.
Keep in mind 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 temperature on weekends by selecting ‘Slept differently’. We recommend adding five ‘normal’ temperature readings a week to best isolate your fertile window 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 do not measure every day, Natural Cycles' effectiveness as a birth control will not be affected. Logging less temperature data means that you will experience a greater amount of red days, where protection is needed, and this may reduce your satisfaction with Natural Cycles. Learn more here.
Note: If you are struggling with your measuring routine, know that you now have the option to use Natural Cycles with an Oura Ring. When wearing an Oura Ring, your temperature trends get measured overnight while you sleep. This means that you no longer need to measure with your oral thermometer as soon as you wake up! Learn more here.