Kind of inspired by this thread I decide to make my first ever ‘new post’ on SDMB. Yay me!
Anyway I’ve always been, as long as I have kept track of such things, much more inclined to stay awake at night and fall asleep near or around dawn. The surprising thing is that I’m not much of a party guy and rarely if ever am I out during the night. Here I am though, night after night doing something coughinternetcough until the break of dawn, luckily I have a job that allows me to have odd hours.
Any others who have their schedules different than most? Tell me about your experiences or how it has affected your life.
I have a fairly ordinary work schedule, but I rarely go to bed before 2 AM even though I’m up before 7 most days; I just don’t need that much sleep and I would feel cheated if I had less time awake.
I work the overnight shift, so I’m usually getting home around 9 AM most days. I must say, I like it. First, I can get so much more done now that there’s no one else in the office to distract me. Then, I have all day to conduct any personal business that I need (going to the bank, getting the car worked on…the kind of stuff that’s tough to get done when you’re a 9-to-5er. And there are no lines!) I’ve always been more of a night person anyway.
Our offices are downtown, so there’s never a shortage of “colorful personalities” downstairs this time of night/morning. And there’s nothing quite like a heaping plate of nachos from my favorite greasy spoon at 4 AM. Good times all around.
It may have taken a toll on my relationship, however. My (now ex-) girlfriend is a 9-to-5er. She slept while I was working, I slept while she was working, and we had all evening to spend together if we so chose (we’re both off on weekends/holidays). It worked out nicely for a while, but eventually she got tired of sleeping alone all week and I couldn’t immediately change my schedule. She couldn’t wait, and so we started drifting apart. There were some hard feelings for a while, but we’re actually pretty good friends now.
Overall, the only regret I have about the overnight shift is the relationship thing. It might be tough for someone with a family/children, too.
I’ve worked evenings or nights my entire working life. It’s awesome. I don’t ever want to work 9-5 or similar hours. I love living in a world that’s dark, quiet, and only about 10% as populated as it was 12 hours ago. I don’t mind if the rest of the world wants to do their business while I’m asleep; if I want a haircut or something I can only get during the daytime, I’ll stay up late and go do it, and then go home and sleep, knowing that I’ll be back in my own world when I wake up.
Yes, I’m a very solitary person. I think the modern version of being a hermit isn’t separating yourself from others by distance, it’s separating yourself by time.
I’ve always preferred the solitude of the night. I have a daytime job, though, so I’m quickly learning to function when deprived of sleep. It helps that over that past few weeks my body has decided that half its normal amount of sleep is good enough.
I see my boss about 15 minutes a week by working nights. Not only that, I work weekend nights; 3 nights one week, 4 the next.
Lots of freetime, less traffic, quicker lines…
Although I did start working weekends at a pretty young age, and it may have played a part if my poor social life. But the other half of me prefers to not have a big social life. Leave me be, and you can be my best friend.
Back when I could afford to be (i.e. when I still lived at home and wasn’t necessarily holding down a full-time job) I was a hardcore night owl. Far from the party animal, it was merely because I did some of my best thinking during those wee hours of peace and solitude, which facilitated one of my favourite hobbies at the time: Programming. Music composition, writing and art were also among those activities best practised alone and illuminated only by my monitor and my bedroom light. I just seemed to get more (and more quality) work done then, when the chances of being disturbed were next to nil. (When I’m into something creative like that I tend to really zone out of the world at large to focus exclusively on the task at hand, so disturbances that tear that focus away really kill my mojo)
Sadly I had to grow up, get a job and be an adult, so no more night owl for me. I kinda miss those days. But not enough to give up my salary.
i’ve been a night walker for about 7 years now. it’s a lot cooler at night, easier to drive around, and the hospital staff at night is much less uptight, less management around, and such…
I need my sleep, unfortunately, but I’ll still stay up until midnight every night which seems to shock people. That’s only because I have to get up in the morning! On the weekends, there’s no barrier, though as I get older I find it pays to stay somewhat within a normal schedule. grumbles
I can’t say I stay up all night, but I do need less sleep than the average person, and significantly less sleep than my SO. He’s in bed by 10:00, and I know better than to even try; it is an impossibility for me to fall asleep before 12 or 1. Late night is the most productive time of my day, as I seem to be able to concentrate better on my studies and/or do stuff around the house that I’d been putting off, like laundry. Must be because there are fewer distractions.
Lately, now that I’m out of school for the summer and have no other commitments, my sleep schedule is even more messed up. It’s getting later and later before I can fall asleep, and it’s becoming frustrating.
I used to be a night owl, but as I get older I tend to get up earlier and earlier, requireing that I go to bed earlier and earlier. Perhaps I have less reason to stay up now.
I work an 8 - 5 job and it’s really hard on me - ever since I was a baby I was a night person. I always have been. I never got enough sleep to get me through school.
I like night time. It’s not the solitude. I just have always felt more awake when it’s dark out, and I’ve always got my best sleep while it’s daylight.
I worked overnight for over a year, and I loved it! We switched to new shifts across the board and now I’m on an evening/swing shift. I’m having a hard time getting up, it’s hot, there’s traffic, and the calls are nowhere near as good.
Eventually, you start getting up so early that the only people you can talk to are night owls who haven’t gone to sleep yet. I’m up for the day, and it’s not 4 am yet.
930 a.m. class, so of course I’m still up. I shouldn’t have stayed up late last night, thus ensuring a late-afternoon (3 p.m.) wakeup yesterday, and I’ll be paying for it today.
Left to my own devices, my sleep schedule cycles through about once a week.
I’m a night person and realized I was about senior year of high school. I CAN get up early if I have to, but it doesn’t make me happy. As the person who has a 7 to 3:30 job, I’ve realized something: I’m in the wrong business. I should be an astronomer! I mean, it’s perfect! A job…that REQUIRES you to work at night!
I am SUCH an idiot for not figuring it out earlier. Now, let’s see if I decide it’s worth derailing the train of life for.
I’m up for the day, and it’s not 4 am yet.