Are you a night owl?
By madebyrobyn
@madebyrobyn (616)
Australia
January 12, 2008 1:18pm CST
I think I was born a night owl. I have always been the last one awake in the household - even as a baby/child - I was the one at the school camp that was last asleep and the one who is the last talking in bed to hubby who has already drifted off without me realising it.
As I am getting older though I feel like I am living a double life! I mean I have to fit in with the rest of society and keep regular hours so that I can have a job and keep my children at school!
I seem to be getting to bed later and later, sometimes, like today, the sun greets me before my pillow does. That means my children will shortly be awake and therefore I will go without sleep today.
Where does night-owl stop and insomnia start?
Why does tiredness not come at night but always at 3pm in the afternoon? - when there is no way in the world I can go to sleep and never have!
Do you think getting a 45min nap is better than getting no sleep at all or do you think it somehow makes you feel more tired? - probably your body having the realisation that it just bit off its nose to spite itself!
Is having time to yourself worth giving up your sleep for?
1 person likes this
18 responses
@Armstrong7886 (303)
• United States
12 Jan 08
I've always been a night-owl which is the main reason I love working third shift and am pretty sure I will keep working the 'graveyard' shift for as long as possible. I haven't have any children yet so I'm sure that will change my opinion of staying up all night eventually but right now I find it better to stay up at night time and sleep during the day. My wife worked second so that was kind of hard because we never really had much time to see each other..but I feel like i can function a lot better if I'm up at night and asleep during the day.
2 people like this
@feuer_engel (2)
• Australia
10 Jun 08
Before I had a baby and had any responsibilites, yes I used to be a very bad night owl. Average time of going to bed was anywhere in the early am's..
Now days I just cant handle being up past 10pm without feeling so drained, I get tired around 3pm too and I wish I could fall asleep at night as easily as I can during the day, I can fall asleep within 5 minutes in a daytime nap (dont get them much now) but it takes me an hour or more to fall asleep at night.. why is that??
1 person likes this
@madebyrobyn (616)
• Australia
10 Jun 08
My theory on why that is the case is that you are using your getting to sleep time for thinking of what you would usually have time for thinking about during the day. Now you are a mum you have to have your thinking times efficiently, maybe you could allow 15 minutes to sit on the lounge before bed to chill out and think with your eyes closed and then take yourself off to bed promising that you will just relax and drop off to sleep. Its worth a try!
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
14 Jan 08
I'm a night owl. That really didn't start happening until elementary school though. Not really sure what prompted it, but I found it harder and harder to get a good nights sleep and often went to school pretty tired and came home exhausted. It's just kind of progressed over the years to where I am up pretty much all night where I see the sun before I see bed sometimes.
1 person likes this
@wisedragon (2325)
• Philippines
13 Jan 08
I worked a lot of graveyard shifts before, and I think that screwed up my sleeping habit big time. People say I have "jet lag forever" because I would be awake in the middle of the night, and sleeping like a baby in the afternoon. LOL Any nap, even just 10 minutes, does wonders for me.
1 person likes this
@madebyrobyn (616)
• Australia
13 Jan 08
Sounds like your body clock is a little out, although I think if I didn't have children I could allow myself an afternoon nap. I like 10 minute refresher power naps, they really do wonders!
@eyewitness (1575)
• Netherlands
13 Jan 08
I have the same problem. Sumtimes i wake up every hour and then fall back asleep, sumtimes i sleep at 3 o'clock in the morning and a lot of times im very tired in the morning or at noon. I love the nightlive the most, so that makes me a night owl. But it's quite annoying espacially at school and work. The whole noon I'm tired, but when it's night I'm as fit as a fiddle. I think that's pretty weird. But when I was younger I had to go to bed early, but kept awake till the middle of the night. I couldn't fall asleep fast. But my brother is also a night owl. He's always up till really late. And probabably loads of others has the same problem.
@madebyrobyn (616)
• Australia
13 Jan 08
Oh to be able to sleep in until noon - maybe one day I can, when I am old!
I would have to say that I am definately not a morning person, it takes me a long time to be with it and properly functioning. My mother is the same, we used to make fun of her 'away with the fairy' ways in the morning, now when I think about it I just feel a bit mean!
@Noxmorexlies (739)
• United States
12 Jan 08
Definatly I prefer being awake at night and thats when I am most productive! I find myself doing more at night, sleep is very important a nap is better than no sleep. It is important that your body rest and if you find yourself getting no sleep then it is time to try and change habits in order to make time for sleep.
@maxsee212 (799)
• United States
13 Jan 08
i consider myself a night own because i don't like to wake up early in the morning, i am awake in the middle of the night doing some work, i preffer night that day to do my routine.
just like you since i was a child, i was always the one late sleeper and the late waker. i never wanted to go to sleep early. i felt more energetic at night than day. maybe it's in my nature to be active at night, just like an own actively searching for food because it's nocturnal.
during the weekend, i prefer to stay awake at night than during the day, i eat food eqivalent to breakfast, lunch and dinner.
@aries_0325 (3060)
• Philippines
12 Jan 08
Yes, I am a night owl. I am alive in the middle of the night and I don't feel sleepy. Maybe because that I already do it for having no sleeping for almost 2 days and my body is adopting it.
1 person likes this
@Uroborus (908)
• Canada
13 Jan 08
I am most definitely a night owl. Always was. I tried once to get my sleep schedule to that of people who go to bed earlier. Even though I got the same amount of sleep when I did that, I felt tired overall. I guess my body is just built to go to bed at a late hour.
Yes, I do think its better to get 45 minutes of nap than no sleep at all. I use the short daily nap every now and then to feel refreshed.
@mackoy1408 (163)
•
13 Jan 08
Im realy like you...i sleep at 12:o'clock PM and awake at 12:00 am...i hate sleeping early. Usually, im waiting myself to be sleepy so i could sleep.
1 person likes this
@snoopypoos (363)
•
13 Jan 08
i stay awake until 3-5am in the morning because i dont have enough time to myself and the wife feels the same, we are very busy and dont have regular relaxing hours, i do like it though as the phone does not ring and you dont get interrupted.
@crystal_84 (14)
• China
13 Jan 08
I have the things too.But I never keep it for long.I would be with responsibility for my health,health is the most important for everything.So,take care of yourself is above all.
@kuirqs (512)
• Philippines
12 Jan 08
I too am a night owl. My body clock seems to be set back or something. And when I do get to sleep while the birds are already chirping, I sleep for about 8 hours or so. A very short nap for me does not suffice. If I sleep in the afternoon, I need at least 2 hours. I am grateful that I have the liberty of time to do that.
1 person likes this
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
12 Jan 08
I don't intend on being awake late at night, but i usually am up late because after i get our son off to sleep i want to spend some time either on the computer or to have a bath without getting disturbed by our son.
I have been intending on going to bed at 12 at night, but then i forget or get abit carried away with posting on here or searching for something that i end up going to bed between 2am - 3am.
I am not usually the last one up though, because Joey is usually awake alot longer than that.
~Joeys wife
1 person likes this
@eyewitness (1575)
• Netherlands
13 Jan 08
I have the same problem. Sumtimes i wake up every hour and then fall back asleep, sumtimes i sleep at 3 o'clock in the morning and a lot of times im very tired in the morning or at noon. I love the nightlive the most, so that makes me a night owl. But it's quite annoying espacially at school and work. The whole noon I'm tired, but when it's night I'm as fit as a fiddle. I think that's pretty weird. On a day off i get late to bed and wake up at 2 sumtimes later at noon.But when I was younger I had to go to bed early, but kept awake till the middle of the night. I couldn't fall asleep fast. But my brother is also a night owl. He's always up till really late. And probabably loads of others has the same problem.
@slyvixen42 (926)
• United States
10 Jun 08
I've always been a night owl too. I love to stay up after everyone has gone to bed so I can have the house all to myself. I think I might have a touch of insomnia which makes me more prone to be a night owl. I'm not married yet, nor do I have children so I can afford to be up at night. I think after I get married I'll probably sleep on a more normal schedule.
