The Night Owls/ Early Birds here.

[tonyfoto]

My schedule is my weakness. I've been trying to improve my rest schedule and aim to hit the sack by 10pm. The problem is I'm a night owl. I don't get off work till 8pm most nights so I typically stay up till 12-12:30 in the morning. Then I'm awake by 6 or 7am. Get a small bite to eat before working out, then have time to cool down and eat my big breakfast before shipping off to work for 10am.

I'm not to concerned about it at the moment. I've still been seeing results, but I feel the results could be better if I could get a good amount of rest. Anyone in the same boat? Anyone have some pointers?

[Red1263]

I can relate, I plan to change myself into an Early bird but I stay up so late, when I wake up at 8am, I turn off my alarm and wake up again at 9, it seems the harder I try to sleep earlier, the later I actually stay up.

[tonyfoto]

I find it helps to make appointments. For example, the local gym has Sunrise Yoga at 6:30am. This means I need to be awake by 5:30 at the latest. I find a friend to go and I stick to the early schedule.. If I don't have a buddy.. well, good luck to me.

[BeckyBuckeye]

See if you can set a sleep schedule and routine. If your body gets used to doing the same things every night before going to bed, it will be more likely to shut itself off. I use either a white noise generator or a podcast to help too, either that or a fan when it's hot.

On the other hand, if you aren't feeling tired the nest day, it's possible your body works fine on less sleep, in which case don't worry about it.

[sumdawgtwigg]

I work graveyard. So, yeah im in the same boat. Lol

[tonyfoto]

I work graveyard. So, yeah im in the same boat. Lol

Get back to work.. lol

[leadchipmunk]

I'm in a similar boat. I have to leave for work at 7 am, but I'm usually awake until at least 12:30 or 1. I've been trying to get to sleep earlier lately, but I end up talking on Facebook or doing something else and don't notice the time until almost 2. And when I work weekends, I don't get done until 4 am, so I'm kinda screwed out of sleep there too.

The only pointer I'd have to give is your body knows how much sleep you need. The best advice I've seen was to have a set wake up time every day and listen to your body to know when to go to sleep. It will create its own rhythm and once that sets in, it will let you get the right amount of sleep.

[pixieopower]

I have been in the same boat for years. Basically, I use the same time NUMBERS as "normal" people but flip the AM and PM. so if I need to wake up by 3:30, I MUST be in bed at least attempting to sleep by 7. Today I don't have to be up til 6 so I will go to bed around 10 or 11. I am working my workout into my routine though. I joined a gym so I have no excuses and MUST stop and work out every single day before going home. I cant waste the money, so I have been working out in the middle of the night. It makes life interesting if nothing else

[tonyfoto]

I joined a gym so I have no excuses and MUST stop and work out every single day before going home. I cant waste the money, so I have been working out in the middle of the night. It makes life interesting if nothing else

I did the same. I went as far to get a trainer so I have the appointments. If I'm paying to meet someone I'm forced to go. It's been difficult for me to build a support team to take to the gym. Most of my friends are nay sayers. "I'll work out with you!" then never show up even if they are paying for their membership. I've recently joined Yoga and some fighting classes at the University in hopes to seek out some Avengers.

[Shortkaik]

It's important to figure out how much sleep your body really needs. 8 hours is the standard, but I know some people who can barely function with less than 9, and people who get headaches if they sleep more than 6.

On the weekends, I've tried to let myself go to sleep when it feels natural and wake up when it feels natural - I've learned that 7 hours is my optimal amount of sleep, I almost always wake up naturally 7 hours after I go to sleep. On weekdays, I usually only get 6 hours - but I try to sneak in a 45 minute nap some evenings, and naps on the weekend to make up for it.

The world needs more naptimes, IMO.

[KillerGriller]

The world needs more naptimes, IMO.

Y

E

S

Here's an infographic on sleep...and sex, but it's safe for work AND it's on the Discovery Channel website!

http://dsc.discovery.com/life/get-your-booty-sleep-the-down-and-dirty-on-sex-and-sleep-infographic.html?awid=6494928911778925516-3588

[Max Power]

It's important to figure out how much sleep your body really needs. 8 hours is the standard, but I know some people who can barely function with less than 9, and people who get headaches if they sleep more than 6.

That's what I was going to say, I get about six to seven hours of seep and I'm right as rain, if I get more than that I might as well have stayed up all night drinking whiskey, cause it's the same outcome. So if you're feeling good on the amount of sleep you're getting then just go with it.

[aj_rock]

Funny, Max; when I stay up most of the night drinking whiskey, the sleep I DO get is so sound that I may as well be asleep for about 12 hours

[Fakeplastictree]

I'm in the exact same boat. I don't get to go to the gym until 8pm, there for an hour, drive 35 minutes home and stay up until 12-1am. wake up for work at 6:30 (ok, supposed to wake up at 6:30, usually ends up being 7). I just had to come to the realization that I won't get more than 7 hours of sleep, just not going to happen.

[tonyfoto]

if I get more than that I might as well have stayed up all night drinking whiskey, cause it's the same outcome.

Besides the fact that your body ceases to recover once the consumption of alcohol is under way.. lol

[Nocturnis]

I work 7pm to 7am at a factory so I am either standing around on a boring machine or busting my ass running four machines, its usually the latter. 12 hours on your feet constantly moving,bending,lifting,carrying wears you out. On my days off all I want to do is sleep and be lazy. I am working on that though lol.

[DaygloNirvana]

I'm also a night owl. If I go to bed any time between 2-4am, I just lie awake staring at the ceiling. But then my partner's alarm goes off at 6am and wakes me up. Then the alarm goes off at 8am to send my partner's daughter off to school. Then sleep. Not exactly healthy.

In the middle of all this I'm trying to figure out when the best time for me to work out is - the time where I actually have the energy to do so.

Right now, though, I think I'll just stick to switching over my diet to paleo. I'll worry about figuring out my exercise routine next.

[TurtIe]

I used to stay up late most nights, then I started hitting the heavy weights really hard after long days at work. Simply exhausted the hell out of me, I was often asleep by 9pm. Now, if I'm not sleeping well I use it as motivation to tell myself I'm not working hard enough!