# Night Owl or Day Duck? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110 "2003-06-29T06:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/1 "2003-06-29T06:32:22Z")
Are you a night owl or do you function better during the day? Does your preference coincide with your obligations (work, family, school, whatever else)? I really wake up mentally and physically after 10pm. For my job, it works well. I edit and produce a couple of little weekly newpapers and am often up very late on deadline nights, sometimes even all night. But I have kids, one still young, who doesn’t quite grasp the concept that Mom just went to bed, she’d like to sleep a bit longer than, say, a half an hour. Overall I get by on 5-6 hours of sleep. Less on work nights. But I find it tough to be coherent and productive during the day. Although lack of coherency is often a 24 hour a day thing. Maybe I was a vampire in another life. Not that I drink blood or anything, I just meant the staying up all night thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/2 "2003-06-29T06:42:00Z")
“Day Duck”? Did you just make that up? I’m a night owl for sure. Shocking to hear, I know, from the guy up at 2am. I have a normal 8-5 job, but I’m pretty well worthless until at least 10:30 or 11am, and don’t hit my stride until after lunch. I once had a job working second shift, 4pm-12:30am, and loved the hours. ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/3 "2003-06-29T07:46:28Z")
I’ve been a night owl since forever. I’ve learned to do just fine during the school year when I have to be up at 6 am, but to tell you the truth I’m pretty much on autopilot until my 8am show time. Now that it’s summer I’m sleeping till two or three in the afternoon and bedding down as the sun rises. Absolutely heaven; I sleep better, I’m disgustingly cheerful and have enough energy for two people. Got to be careful about calling people at midnight, some folks aren’t on my vampire schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/4 "2003-06-29T07:51:58Z")
I’d go more for Raven… but yes, I’m a severe night person. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/5 "2003-06-29T07:53:46Z")
Night person. College classes at 8am. Thank God for caffeine. Mr. Snoopy is a night person. LittleSnoopy is a night person. Refused to be born till 3am or so. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/6 "2003-06-29T07:58:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Salem \* > \*\*Are you a night owl or do you function better during the day? \*\* Give me the night! But sometimes I must function during the day, and I can do that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/7 "2003-06-29T13:09:57Z")
My ideal schedule, and one I invevitably wind up doing if I have no competing obligations, is sleeping 4am-1pm and doing my best work from 10pm-3am. Though it usually competes with all KINDS of obligations, so I don’t get to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/8 "2003-06-29T13:21:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neuroman \* > \*\*“Day Duck”? Did you just make that up? > > \*\* Why yes, yes I did. See how clever I am at night? I never would have thought of it during the day. 😃 Notice, though, it’s all the night owls (or night _ravens_ in deference to **Mockingbird’s** preference) responding? Is it the posting hour or do we just need validation? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/9 "2003-06-29T13:56:27Z")
Definitely a day duck here. My favourite work shift was 5am to 2pm. Loved it loved it loved it. Mornings are lovely. 🙂 Pumpkin hour for me comes between 9pm and 10pm. Zombie-fied after that. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/10 "2003-06-29T13:58:23Z")
I’m a day duck. I rise more or less with the sun and go to sleep when it gets dark. Deep winter (february) is horrible as I always want to be asleep at 5:00pm and not get up until 8:00am. There is no sleeping preference that coincides with the job of mommy when the kids are little. My daughter hates her new bed and so she gets up 2 or three times a night and I figure we will get her to learn to stay in her room all night just in time to bring the new baby home and start the overnight feedings program 🙂 I’m told I can catch up on my sleep when they move out. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/11 "2003-06-29T14:15:38Z")
I have always prefered the night time. But I am doing an OK job of training myself to get up in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/12 "2003-06-29T14:27:12Z")
At least we’re not Night Rangers… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/13 "2003-06-29T14:52:02Z")
Day Duck – I wake up at 6:00 a.m. every day, with or without the alarm. Years ago, I took piano lessons before school (I think they were at 6:30 a.m.) I hate people who give me work to do at 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. If you want it done quickly and right, give it to me at 8:30 a.m., when I’m at my peak. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/14 "2003-06-29T15:02:32Z")
And the posting times do reflect people’s preference. Well, not exactly, I would have preferred not to be posting til at least 11:00am, but my son had other ideas at 6:30am. Silly boy. Here’s a follow-up question: Is your SO the same as you? How about your children (void where not applicable)? Hmm, that was two questions. I would have caught that at night. Hubby is definitely a day duck. Which works out well in my case. Two ships passing and all that. My two daughters have always been night owls, but my son is a day duck like his father. **tanookie** I think they lied to you, they never move out. Or maybe it just feels that way. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/15 "2003-06-29T16:06:14Z")
My SO is much more of a “Go to bed at 9pm” person, or she used to be. She’d be yawning and moseying off to bed while I’m shouting “What’re you doing?! It’s not even two digits yet! Geez, I didn’t go to bed this early when I was eight! And there’s a Midnight Movie on that rocks”. Fortunately, I’ve been changing that. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/16 "2003-06-29T16:33:01Z")
Hubby is definitely a night owl, up til well gone mid-night. It can be a pain sometimes when he’s up moving around or has the munchies, but I do get to cuddle him until I fall asleep everynight… 😃 Rarely do we go to bed at the same time. Even more rarely do we get up at the same time in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/17 "2003-06-29T17:19:28Z")
I’m a night owl through-and-through. I have classes at 8:00am, and I can force myself up, but I’m a zombie until 11:00am rolls around. Now that its the summer, I stay up until 3:00 - 4:00am and get up at like 1:00pm. I love watching the midnight movie specials 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/18 "2003-06-29T18:04:07Z")
I’m a night owl - and my day job requires me to leave the house at 7 am. Boy, do I look forward to the weekends… Three day weekend coming up! ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/19 "2003-06-29T20:14:41Z")
Night owl. After forcing myself to be a day person throughout school and my first few years in the work force, I finally snapped. I just cannot function well if I have to get up at 6 in the morning. So, I transferred to a department where I could work evenings, and it’s perfect. I get up at 11:30 a.m. (or between noon and 1 p.m. on my days off), stay awake until about 4-5 a.m., and I absolutely love it. My mental and physical health has never been better. The boyfriend is a night person as well, which is good. Growing up, my father was a day person. He’d be up and cheery and trying to wake me and my sisters up at 5 a.m., and I don’t think I could live with that again. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110/20 "2003-06-30T04:55:06Z")
I remember the days of sleeping til 1pm…_sigh_. Now, even if I could, my back would probably kill me long before 10am. How pitiful is that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-owl-or-day-duck/185110.md?page=2)