The Witching Hour: For Nyctophiliacs and Night Owls

[Rurik Harrgath]

 

There is a thread for Introverts and Social Misfits but I've yet to find anything for those of us who spend the wee hours of the night enjoying the quiet solitude of the twilight hours.  For one, I am very much at home staying up all night and sleeping far into the day.  Though this is by and far my preference and most comfortable way of living, I realize it is inconvenient to my healthy living schedule more often than not so I struggle to find a balance between enjoying the night, getting a proper amount of rest and recuperation, and keeping to a living schedule during the daylight hours.

 

When I devoted much of my time to writing and authoring my still as yet unfinished novel that now lays by the wayside, I found much of my inspiration came to me after sunset.  I cannot be sure why, but this has always been the case.  Even as a teenager I wanted to stay up all night and enjoy the darkness.  There is some comfort and giddy thrill to be found in the wild dark.

 

Join in if you are anything like me, and love the long hours of the eventide.

[Vella]

*waves*  It's currently midnight where I am, but since I need to be awake in six hours, I must away.  However, I shall be keeping an eye on this thread so I can pop in whenever it's a ridiculous hour of the morning.

[Nubbins McGee]

Meh, I'm both an insomniac and a short sleeper.  I'm either up late, or more commonly as I get older, up SUPER early.  Five hours of sleep is enough to make me feel completely rested.  I often operate on less than four.  Tonight I'll be lucky to get two but that's because I'm working.

[Juni0r83]

Work is pretty much the only reason I'm not a complete night owl. And because I work shift work I have more excuses give my family when I do stick to a nightlife schedule.

I even made sure I selected a 24 hour gym to ensure I have access to healthy habits no matter what time of day it is.

[Rurik Harrgath]

I'm feeling some of those night owl pangs after a brief three and a half hours of sleep.  Time to suffer through as much of my day as possible and catch a cat nap at some point!

 

It's bloody hard to be productive when you're zonked though.

[Vella]

Yeah, I feel the night owl pangs.  My sleep pattern changes neither easily nor nicely.  Especially when my new morning time is 6:30am, as I learned this week.

 

However, up late now, to get some writing done because I am so behind, and to have a nice midnight snack to fill out the calorie count (What, you mean I need to sit down and eat 800 calories before I go to sleep?  Challenge accepted, good tracking device!)

[Rurik Harrgath]

Haha, I was in the same boat last night.  I was coming up on what should have been my bedtime four hours ago, and still had over 400 calories left according to MyFitnessPal.  So I gobbled down an apple and some almond butter!

[SugarRay]

I'm a natural night-owl. Before I changed my sleeping patterns I routinely went to bed at 4AM and woke up between 9AM and 12AM.

However, I wanted to include morning runs in my day so I put effort into wake up at 5:30AM. Now, I don't even go running anymore. I just like waking up early.

 

I used to study late into the night. Now? I study early in the morning. It's far better that way.

[Raincloak]

I write faster when I'm sleep deprived, although if i'm on deadline, anxiety tends to keep me from enjoying it. Either late nights or very early mornings work for me, but given the option I prefer staying up late. If God meant people to get up before dawn, he would make the sun rise earlier. ^^

though where I live, it tends to be a lot quieter between 3-6 am than 12-2. I'm not the only one who stays up late and hates getting up early, and my current domicile is right by a popular park.

[Vella]

I used to study late into the night. Now? I study early in the morning. It's far better that way.

 

My Dad used to tell me that I'd get more done if I woke up earlier, but I tend to find that I do less. I get a bit done in the morning, but it's always pretty lacklustre quality, and then when I get to the end of the day when I should be working best, I'm too tired to get anything done.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to keep my sleeping pattern more towards waking at 9 than 12, but I'm never going to be a 6am person.

[Rurik Harrgath]

No matter what I try to do with my sleep schedule I always gravitate toward night wakefulness, and I get so much more done and organized.

 

It's probably time to stop fighting it really.

[saroufall]

I've always functioned better at night and would end up dozing off as the sun came up. Now I've been working the night shift for the last 3 years and things have been going so much smoother.

[Rurik Harrgath]

Everything I have ever reads tries to drill the point home that sleeping during the day is unnatural, that staying up until all hours is unnatural, and you're taking years off your life by doing so.

 

If that is the case, why am I so drawn to these kinds of hour and why do I feel so much better on this kind of schedule?  I've kept to both sorts of sleep patterns and night-owling is by far my preference.

[kaelvan]

Right now dealing with the racing ideas of art pieces I can be doing at this moment

[alienjenn]

 

There is a thread for Introverts and Social Misfits but I've yet to find anything for those of us who spend the wee hours of the night enjoying the quiet solitude of the twilight hours.  For one, I am very much at home staying up all night and sleeping far into the day.  Though this is by and far my preference and most comfortable way of living, I realize it is inconvenient to my healthy living schedule more often than not so I struggle to find a balance between enjoying the night, getting a proper amount of rest and recuperation, and keeping to a living schedule during the daylight hours.

 

When I devoted much of my time to writing and authoring my still as yet unfinished novel that now lays by the wayside, I found much of my inspiration came to me after sunset.  I cannot be sure why, but this has always been the case.  Even as a teenager I wanted to stay up all night and enjoy the darkness.  There is some comfort and giddy thrill to be found in the wild dark.

 

Join in if you are anything like me, and love the long hours of the eventide.

 

 

night shift worker here

[Rurik Harrgath]

How do you sleep for nights, alienjenn?

 

I very much try to get my full 7-8 before and after night shifts and then shortchange myself a bit after my last night to reset for my days off, but I struggle getting enough sleep before my first day shift because I'm such a night owl.

[alienjenn]

so... for 3 weeks I live on night shift hours... I work 3 off 2 work 3 off 3 work 3 off 8.... I work 1900-0730... I usually get home by 0815 ish and I walk/run the puppy for about an hour and get showered and in bed by about 10... I get up at 1700 and get ready for work (and spend a lil time with my kids!)

 

when I am OFF (and on nsh) I usually get up between 1600 and 1800 and then go about my "day" (occasionally I will plan to go to bed around 0300-0400 so I can wake around 1300-1400 to do something in day light hours... but not often  ) I am usually in bed by 0700-0900 

 

on wednesday the day my 8 day stretch starts I get off work... go do my run/shower thing... then I usually run any errands I have... SOMETIMES I take a short nap (I love when I can go and hang the hammock and take a nap... if I plan to do that Ezra and I will go for a run and hang the hammock half way through... she loves naps under the hammock (or in it if she's not a muddy puppy)) and then I am usually in bed by 2000-2100 so I can be on day time hours for the rest of that week... then the next week I have to go back to work on thursday... so wed I will sleep in til noon or so and then stay up til 0600ish and sleep all day to get me back on track

 

 

 

I NEVER work days... and I don't switch back and forth (there's too much drama on days and too many people and it's MUCH more relaxed... also... I don't sleep well at nights)  so I don't have the problem of switching back and forth

 

(I just realized I typed a whole LOT to answer a simple question.... but sleep patterns aren't simple )

[Bleop]

I'd say I'm a night owl. I feel energized by the night and the cool breeze that accompanies it, as if I'm an introvert by day and an extrovert by night. It just seems like there's opportunity and adventures to be had! No matter how exhausting a day I've had, I still find it difficult to fall into a natural sleeping pattern. I've been popping pills lately to knock me out because unfortunately I have a mouth to feed. My own. And like you, Rurik, I find my creative side exalts after sunset.

[Rurik Harrgath]

I'd say I'm a night owl. I feel energized by the night and the cool breeze that accompanies it, as if I'm an introvert by day and an extrovert by night. It just seems like there's opportunity and adventures to be had! No matter how exhausting a day I've had, I still find it difficult to fall into a natural sleeping pattern. I've been popping pills lately to knock me out because unfortunately I have a mouth to feed. My own. And like you, Rurik, I find my creative side exalts after sunset.

 

The natural sleeping pattern vexes me, especially when everything I read speaks to the necessity of sleeping through the night for ideal fitness and weight loss.  I do fine on my own but I feel like my sleep difficulties are a handicap of sorts.  My girlfriend keeps harping on me to have a sleep study on and I think I finally convinced her to leave that topic alone when I explained how I couldn't hope for a reasonable sleep study when I already cannot sleep through the night or when people are around.

 

And it's always wonderful to find another nocturnal exalter.