Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Now then, three-and-a-half years from now I will be retiring to my homestead and I am really, seriously considering following my "natural" body rhythm instead of fighting the losing battle of living my life like a "regular" person.
I am also prone to night-owlism.
This is a really interesting read about our internal clocks and what makes them tick!
The pace of modern life forces us to ignore one of the most powerful parts of our brain – the body clock. But at what cost?
"When humans evolved, fire was a big factor; we could sleep at night, protected by campfires, and forage during the day. It was important for some of us to be owls, and others larks, so that somebody was always alert enough to keep watch while other members of the tribe slept. It was an advantage for young adults to be late sleepers, so they, the best athletes, could hunt at night."
Even as a kid, I was a night owl. I drifted through mornings. I woke up in the afternoon. When I was around ten I discovered my parents went to bed after my bedtime, so I waited them out, turned on the light and read for hours until I was sleepy. Mom never quite caught on that I did it pretty much every night. Even when I was working and had to get up, Friday night even half asleep I didn't crash until two.
What I've discovered as my secret to sleep is do as the body wants. I go to bed between three and five. I wake up around noon. Sometimes later, but my relatives with the car are also night owls so there won't be any reason to wake them before Two. I have my routine which is absolute. Then I kick back if its hot and wait until it cool late at night to do the stuff which isn't comfortable in the heat of day.
I too have trouble with sun sensitivity. I took meds long enough that the sensitivity did not go away with the pills and I still get a dry skin rash from it. Sunscreen doesn't help. I go out in the sun before ten or after three only. Takes way too long to clear the messy stuff up. And heat hits me too hard so I enjoy the mirical of air conditioning. Lots of things can be done inside so there is no need to be bored.
But what really helped get rid of the way I'd go manic and stay up for three days was getting off the meds. I react to any med like it was an overdose. I moved from my triggers and in the wonderful quiet of an Oklahoma night (no cars or lawn mowers lol) just let myself think. Some was rough but without the meds to make it go away I settled some old poison feelings and life got a whole lot simpler. And while I've always love night I especially love the quiet here. Its so peaceful. I did laundry all night last night and didn't actually hate it.
I think some of us are just MADE to sleep during the day and be awake at night. My son is like that too. Everyone seems to mention about tenpm as the time when that full awareness turns on. Maybe we were the survivors of the early nomads who stayed up to watch at night while the rest slept. But I don't try to be awake at night. I just am.
I worked and inventory job for a while, and discovered my time is about ten to three. By three the shut down begins. If the job lasted til six I could barely remember what my count was long enough to write it down. Its not a hyper awareness, just being fully awake and functional. That I'm alone is fine since I'm by nature a loner and prefer it that way.
I really do think us nightowls (ugh, night *bird*) were made to be this way.
I was diagnosed with DSPS at 16. I had a sleep study w/ an extended day study (to monitor daytime napping) and had to keep a sleep diary for a month.
They had me on Lunesta for awhile but it doesn't work well for DSPS. Instead I ended up doing a combination of chronotherapy and bright light therapy. Chronotherapy is really tough...you move forward around the clock, so each day you go to bed at a different time. It's exhausting but by the end of it, you've move completely around the clock so your sleep/wake cycle is better aligned with societies. It does work, but you can't ever sleep in, take a nap, or stay up late...you're undo it and reset the cycle. I was never able to hold it longer than six months.
I pretty much just resigned myself to being tired all the time. I never really feel well rested or 'awake'. My last job I worked very early in the morning, usually starting around 5am-6am, but I was done by 12pm or so. Then I would go home and take a long nap. I'm out of work right now and I tend to stay up until 4am/5am, then get up around noon. I tend to require more sleep than most, though...not sure if that's the DSPS or chronic exhaustion, so I'll usually need a nap later in the day. If I had full choice, I'd probably sleep most of the day and get up around 6pm, then stay up through the night and well into the morning.
Edited to add that while I do think nightowl cycles are normal for those afflicted, DSPS is considered one of the most difficult forms of insomnia to treat, to the point where it can be considered disabling. It can cause depression because of the exhaustion and feeling of isolation from normal society.
Add me to the club. Not only am I a night person, I also have jacked up sleep issues in general and am constantly fatigued. As I type this, it's 430 am. Im at 'work'. My body's ideal sleep schedule is fall asleep between 4 to 6 am, and wake at around 3 or 4 pm. Im lucky this year as I have a work schedule that is a mix of graveyards and evening shifts. Prior to this I worked mornings for several years. I had to wake at 4 am. That was pure hell for me. It's weird, I like to be up at that time normally, but to wake up early is misery.
I also need 9 to 10 hours of sleep. 8 leaves me yawning all day. I sleep deepest after sunrise. I cannot go to bed early (11pm or earlier) and sleep well. Usually I will just lay there for three or more hours. So on morning schedules Im a living zombie. Constantly fatigued, never able to get a full nights sleep despite being exhausted.
On my body's schedule though, I will be asleep within minutes of hitting the bed in the morning. I do have issues with insomnia though. About every tenth day or so I will skip a sleep cycle, not by choice. My sleep time varies too. Most nights I need nine or ten, but about three times a month I will sleep in excess of 18 hours (just did this two days ago! It was heaven!)
On my days off I love to hike and backpack, and those require me to be up early to take advantage of the sunlight and to avoid being at lower elevations during the hottest parts of the day. It's hard to do and I hike slow because of it. Seriously my buddies complain about it, but they are bright eyed and bushy tailed. I do quite a bit of night hiking, but it limits me to non technical routes.
My hatred of waking early or even working a normal day shift has caused me issues at work. I struggle to stay awake. They just say 'youll get used to mornings! Your body will adjust!' Bzzzt wrong. My body will not allow any such thing. I tried many times to reset my clock, yeah every attempt failed and only left me exhausted.
I recently missed about six months of work due to a major surgery, and during that recovery I would wake about 3pm, go to sleep about 4am. Slept so well...
I did see a dr about this issue and my constant fatigue. He ran some bloodwork. Said I was low on vitamin D. Put me on a high dosage of it to see if it would help. Nope. He ordered a sleep study, but I had to cancel due to an emergency that came up and I just never got around to rescheduling. I really need to get it done.
I think this makes a lot of sense. I sense that going to sleep when it's night, is dangerous. When early morning arrives, I feel it's safe to go to sleep because the world is waking up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by D217
I am also prone to night-owlism.
This is a really interesting read about our internal clocks and what makes them tick!
The pace of modern life forces us to ignore one of the most powerful parts of our brain – the body clock. But at what cost?
"When humans evolved, fire was a big factor; we could sleep at night, protected by campfires, and forage during the day. It was important for some of us to be owls, and others larks, so that somebody was always alert enough to keep watch while other members of the tribe slept. It was an advantage for young adults to be late sleepers, so they, the best athletes, could hunt at night."
I'm a night person by nature, too. My ideal schedule would be sleeping from 2:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.! However, I've also been an insomniac my entire life, and I have trouble at both ends - going to sleep and staying asleep! Because I have a job that requires me to get up at 5:30 a.m. five days a week to be at work by 6:30, I often wake up at the same time (5:30 or 6:00 - euww!) on weekends. If I try to go back to sleep after getting a drink of water or blowing my nose, then the sleep I get is fitful and I wake up with a headache. Sometimes it's better if I just stay up! I also tend to have weird, disturbing dreams that make me wish sleep was never required.
It's 1:00 a.m. on the west coast where I live, and I'm awake. I have to get up in 4 1/2 hours. :P I'm sure stress is a major factor in my insomnia, but I've gotten used to this as my version of "normal". It's sad that I'm used to going through the day at work being so exhausted I can hardly think half the time.
I'm in the minority. Always been a morning person, which is truly awful! Everyone else is making plans to go out or chat via email/phone, while I'm exhausted, wanting to turn in @ 10p. Then I'm getting dirty looks in the morning bc I'm the only one smiling with energy. People are saying, "Nuh uh, can't deal with her till I've had 5 cups of coffee." Ha!
No, seriously, horrible.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If I try to go back to sleep after getting a drink of water or blowing my nose, then the sleep I get is fitful and I wake up with a headache. Sometimes it's better if I just stay up! I also tend to have weird, disturbing dreams that make me wish sleep was never required. 
