Night owl?

Michael Davis13 said:It’s honestly such a relief to find some other night owls out there! I seriously thought I was the only one living on a different clock, but it looks like there’s a whole crowd of us...

I’ve been stuck in this exact same loop for years now. I’m wide awake all night, and by the time I actually crawl into bed, the sun is already starting to come up—usually around 4 or 5 in the morning. Since I need at least 8 or 9 hours of sleep to function, I end up waking up super late in the afternoon. I try everything I can to push my responsibilities and errands to the late afternoon if possible. And if I absolutely *have* to be up in the morning? Well, either I don't sleep at all, or I grab a tiny nap, which just leaves me feeling absolutely trashed for the rest of the day.

There was a time when this rhythm used to drive me crazy. Everyone seems to think you *have* to be a daytime person—sleep at night, work during the day, you know the drill. I even tried a bunch of different tricks to force myself to sleep at night, but nothing worked. Eventually, I just realized that if this schedule works for me, why fight it? There’s really no reason to change...
Luckily, I recently managed to kick off a side project that I can work on overnight. It's perfect because I don't have to deal with those typical 9-to-5 shifts most jobs demand. Now, all that's left is enjoying those long, quiet nights 🙂.

It is a relief to hear that such a lifestyle is viable 🙂 and that I am certainly not alone in this :P

I’m going to try and inject a little humor here, since it feels like this forum is absolutely drowning in pessimists lately.😁

To all you night owls out there—you know the ones—why don't you just find yourselves a nice little montage of shirtless models and count them like kids counting sheep to fall asleep?

Maria Ramos41 said:I’m going to try and inject a little humor here, since it feels like this forum is absolutely drowning in pessimists lately.😁

To all you night owls out there—you know the ones—why don't you just find yourselves a nice little montage of shirtless models and count them like kids counting sheep to fall asleep?

I have to admit, there's a lot of gloom here, but I guess that's just what happens when people stay up all night...

My internal clock has finally shifted. I've been waking up early for two days now—around 4 AM yesterday, maybe 5 AM today. Hopefully, tomorrow it'll be 6 AM or even later. Honestly, I've actually missed some plans because of this sudden change in schedule.🙂

Kevin Young4 said:I have to admit, there's a lot of gloom here, but I guess that's just what happens when people stay up all night...

My internal clock has finally shifted. I've been waking up early for two days now—around 4 AM yesterday, maybe 5 AM today. Hopefully, tomorrow it'll be 6 AM or even later. Honestly, I've actually missed some plans because of this sudden change in schedule.🙂

Just stay strong and stick to the plan!

If I had to be at work by 6:00 AM, there’s no way I could stay up all night—I'd be counting down the minutes until I hit the sheets. I actually tried switching my day and night schedule once before, and man, that first workday was brutal. By the time I finally got home, ate something, and sat down to rest, I crashed like a freight train 🙂

No matter how much I grind during the day... or how exhausted I feel by sunset... sleep just refuses to come when the lights go out. But the second that morning sun hits the window, I’m out like a light. Honestly, I can't stand people constantly breathing down my neck, trying to force me to be functional during daylight hours... it's just not happening for me.

Work 12-hour shifts on your feet for at least three days straight.
If you still can't crash at night after that, then you’ve got a real problem.

I’m usually a total night owl, staying up until 4 or 5 in the morning, and then I don't really crawl out of bed until around 10. Honestly, the absolute worst part is when the summer heat hits; you can't catch any sleep at night because it's too hot, and then by the afternoon, you're just completely wiped out and hitting a massive wall of exhaustion.

northernsailor102 said:No matter how much I grind during the day... or how exhausted I feel by sunset... sleep just refuses to come when the lights go out. But the second that morning sun hits the window, I’m out like a light. Honestly, I can't stand people constantly breathing down my neck, trying to force me to be functional during daylight hours... it's just not happening for me.

Wait, who exactly is forcing you to be awake during the day?

Look, I’ve always been a total night owl! I truly believe the night can be used just as effectively as the day. To be honest, those social norms where everyone has to work during the day and sleep at night? Never really clicked for me. I could never adapt, and honestly, I never wanted to... but you have to realize that not everyone's internal clock works the same way...

If we look at Freudian theory about the human psyche—how it's split into three parts that are constantly interacting, usually without us even realizing it: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego—there can be some pretty wild consequences if things get out of whack. That's why I'd suggest trying to find a "normal" rhythm. Let me explain...

The Id is basically the most hidden part of your personality. It's where all our repressed fears, experiences, desires, and impulses live—the stuff we can't actually act on because it clashes with societal rules or the version of ourselves we've built up over time. We aren't even aware of what the Id is doing, and its contents mostly pop up in dreams, which are kind of like portals to the deep subconscious. Basically, the moment there's a disruption in how the Id expresses itself normally, you can start seeing neurotic or even psychotic states develop...

Then there's the Ego, which acts as the middleman between the Id and the Superego. Basically, the Ego keeps everything balanced and keeps the Id under control...

The real trouble starts when people are already dealing with issues. Insomnia can just make everything ten times worse because it weakens the Ego's ability to manage the Id, letting all those impulses bubble up to the surface. I'm telling you all this because I noticed you've posted on other threads about struggling with OCD and stuff like that... and having an unbalanced biological rhythm like insomnia can seriously mess with those conditions...

Man, I’ve always been one of those night owls who stays up way too late and then tries to catch up on sleep whenever I can—I know, I know, it’s a terrible habit, but whatever, I'll get my act together eventually.

Michael Davis13 said:Wait, who exactly is forcing you to be awake during the day?

Look, I’ve always been a total night owl! I truly believe the night can be used just as effectively as the day. To be honest, those social norms where everyone has to work during the day and sleep at night? Never really clicked for me. I could never adapt, and honestly, I never wanted to... but you have to realize that not everyone's internal clock works the same way...

If we look at Freudian theory about the human psyche—how it's split into three parts that are constantly interacting, usually without us even realizing it: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego—there can be some pretty wild consequences if things get out of whack. That's why I'd suggest trying to find a "normal" rhythm. Let me explain...

The Id is basically the most hidden part of your personality. It's where all our repressed fears, experiences, desires, and impulses live—the stuff we can't actually act on because it clashes with societal rules or the version of ourselves we've built up over time. We aren't even aware of what the Id is doing, and its contents mostly pop up in dreams, which are kind of like portals to the deep subconscious. Basically, the moment there's a disruption in how the Id expresses itself normally, you can start seeing neurotic or even psychotic states develop...

Then there's the Ego, which acts as the middleman between the Id and the Superego. Basically, the Ego keeps everything balanced and keeps the Id under control...

The real trouble starts when people are already dealing with issues. Insomnia can just make everything ten times worse because it weakens the Ego's ability to manage the Id, letting all those impulses bubble up to the surface. I'm telling you all this because I noticed you've posted on other threads about struggling with OCD and stuff like that... and having an unbalanced biological rhythm like insomnia can seriously mess with those conditions...

That whole thing about the interaction between the Id, Ego, and Superego is actually fascinating... I have to admit, I've never looked at it through that lens before. Are there specific methods to restore that balance? Lately, I feel like my Ego is weakening... I don't experience the same drives or needs that seem so normal or intense in everyone else...
Do you have a link or something more on this topic?

northernsailor102 said:That whole thing about the interaction between the Id, Ego, and Superego is actually fascinating... I have to admit, I've never looked at it through that lens before. Are there specific methods to restore that balance? Lately, I feel like my Ego is weakening... I don't experience the same drives or needs that seem so normal or intense in everyone else...
Do you have a link or something more on this topic?

Honestly, I don't think your ego is actually weakening—it's more like you just aren't giving it the steering wheel anymore, so its influence is limited to certain areas. And frankly, that's perfectly fine.🙂

northernsailor102 said:No matter how much I grind during the day... or how exhausted I feel by sunset... sleep just refuses to come when the lights go out. But the second that morning sun hits the window, I’m out like a light. Honestly, I can't stand people constantly breathing down my neck, trying to force me to be functional during daylight hours... it's just not happening for me.

escapism

fadedbear92 said:escapism

For sure. There’s plenty of truth to be found in this one.

fadedbear92 said:escapism

I’m inclined to agree. For me, the absolute best part of the day is that window between midnight and those first few rays of dawn hitting the skyline. No crowds, no frantic morning rush, no unnecessary drama. Just peace.
But then comes the inevitable moment when you actually have to get up and face reality. 😱 🙂

I have dealt with this exact issue my entire life. I can fall asleep every night, but it isn't until somewhere around 3:00 or 4:00 AM. Once I lie down, my brain just switches on. I start spiraling through "what if" scenarios and overanalyzing everything that happened during the day. I simply cannot stop the cycle; I have to wait two or three hours for my mind to exhaust itself before sleep finally comes. Since starting my job, things have stabilized slightly, but because I only work two or three days a week rather than every day, maintaining a consistent circadian rhythm is difficult.

I often find relief by wearing an eye mask. Not too tight, but just enough so that when I relax my facial muscles, my eyes stay closed. Without it, the effort required to keep my eyes shut actually keeps me more awake. Usually, once I can't open my eyes, I can quiet my thoughts and drift off within a few minutes. If anyone wants to give it a try, 🙂 just keep in mind that it isn't instant. Your brain still needs time to tire out—expect at least thirty minutes to an hour of tossing and turning.

I don’t have much else to do but type.

It’s 3:15 AM. Clearly, sleep isn't happening. It's not like I wouldn't kill for fifteen hours of shut-eye right now. The late Hicks used to say he needed eight hours of sleep a night—ten, if we're being honest.
For a guy like me, five hours usually does the trick, and sometimes I can even scrape by on three.🤷
My alarm goes off at 7:30. I actually roll out of bed around 7:50. I'll dash to the bathroom, handle my business, and maybe catch a few more minutes of nodding off on the toilet. By 8:00, I'm awake, feeling like crap, trying to figure out what the hell is going on with my life. I pull myself together and within five minutes, I'm on my bike, pedaling hard and fighting just to keep my eyes open. I somehow make it to work by 9:00, and then it's just a cycle: work, work, a little bit of work, then a ton of work, all the way until midnight. By the time I get home, I wash half a pound of grime off my skin, but damn it, I still can't fall asleep.😕 No matter how physically or mentally wrecked I feel.😲 Is it my nerves? Pure exhaustion? Depression?

I'm looking for some answers from the intellectuals and the book-smart types here.😳

Btw, I'm not joking around—I am genuinely destroying myself.