What is your sleep schedule?

[The Sum of Awe]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

 

[exchemist]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

Ha. Currently, not great. I go to bed around 11pm but tend to wake up, BING!! at 0430-0500. If I am lucky I can get back to sleep after about 1-2 hours wakefulness, for another hour or so. This is all to do with these damned β-blockers I've been taking for the last year or so to control a heart arrhythmia. Apparently they tend to suppress the production of melatonin - so you wake up. Wonderful. I'm a bit anxious about it, as everyone says that getting enough sleep is a good way to avoid cognitive decline in later years (I am 68). So I try to make up for it by taking a nap for 30 mins or so after lunch, if I can.

But at least I have no trouble getting off to sleep - I just wake too soon.

 

[JustGeorge]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

I like to be in bed around midnight or 1am. (This doesn't always happen, due to no fault of my own.) My target wake up is around 10am, unless something was real chaotic the night before, and then I either wake up super early from stress, or I sleep in later.

Ha. Currently, not great. I go to bed around 11pm but tend to wake up, BING!! at 0430-0500. If I am lucky I can get back to sleep after about 1-2 hours wakefulness, for another hour or so. This is all to do with these damned β-blockers I've been taking for the last year or so to control a heart arrhythmia. Apparently they tend to suppress the production of melatonin - so you wake up. Wonderful. I'm a bit anxious about it, as everyone says that getting enough sleep is a good way to avoid cognitive decline in later years (I am 68). So I try to make up for it by taking a nap for 30 mins or so after lunch, if I can.

But at least I have no trouble getting off to sleep - I just wake too soon.

That sounds awful! My mom has the opposite problem on those pills; she started falling asleep randomly during the day. I think she's had less trouble with it now that she's dating someone and actually is up doing more.

I took them for a short while myself. While I never fell asleep during the day from them, just mustering up the energy to walk to the bathroom was a great task. I had constant fatigue... one of the reasons I weaned myself off of them. But, my arrhythmia is simply annoying, not harmful.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Ha. Currently, not great. I go to bed around 11pm but tend to wake up, BING!! at 0430-0500. If I am lucky I can get back to sleep after about 1-2 hours wakefulness, for another hour or so. This is all to do with these damned β-blockers I've been taking for the last year or so to control a heart arrhythmia. Apparently they tend to suppress the production of melatonin - so you wake up. Wonderful.

Must be nice, you have more time of the day to spend awake and do the things you like doi-

I'm a bit anxious about it, as everyone says that getting enough sleep is a good way to avoid cognitive decline in later years (I am 68). So I try to make up for it by taking a nap for 30 mins or so after lunch, if I can.

But at least I have no trouble getting off to sleep - I just wake too soon.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear. I didn't think of it that way.

 

[ChristineM]

Im usually asleep by midnight or soon after and wake around 5:30.

 

[JustGeorge]

Im usually asleep by midnight or soon after and wake around 5:30.

I knew you got up early, but didn't know you stayed up so late!

How do you go off of so little sleep?

 

[ChristineM]

I knew you got up early, but didn't know you stayed up so late!

How do you go off of so little sleep?

Dunno, just the way i am.

 

[exchemist]

I like to be in bed around midnight or 1am. (This doesn't always happen, due to no fault of my own.) My target wake up is around 10am, unless something was real chaotic the night before, and then I either wake up super early from stress, or I sleep in later.



That sounds awful! My mom has the opposite problem on those pills; she started falling asleep randomly during the day. I think she's had less trouble with it now that she's dating someone and actually is up doing more.

I took them for a short while myself. While I never fell asleep during the day from them, just mustering up the energy to walk to the bathroom was a great task. I had constant fatigue... one of the reasons I weaned myself off of them. But, my arrhythmia is simply annoying, not harmful.

That's interesting. I initially cut the pills in half because I found they made me a bit listless and vaguely down. And it is true I am able to take naps now after lunch or even around 6pm, which I never did before. But the flip side - and perhaps related to it - is this early waking. I don't get up, as that would make it impossible to sleep again later, but I take a look at the internet on the iPad, see what's going on, maybe look up anything that I've been wondering about and then try to get back to sleep after an hour or so. Occasionally I try one of Charlotte's videos, as they are so calming. Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't. (I'm sure if I was dating someone everything would be quite different - might be struggling with sleep for different reasons, even.)

 

[JustGeorge]

That's interesting. I initially cut the pills in half because I found they made me a bit listless and vaguely down. And it is true I am able to take naps now after lunch or even around 6pm, which I never did before. But the flip side - and perhaps related to it - is this early waking. I don't get up, as that would make it impossible to sleep again later, but I take a look at the internet on the iPad, see what's going on, maybe look up anything that I've been wondering about and then try to get back to sleep after an hour or so. Occasionally I try one of Charlotte's videos, as they are so calming. Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't. (I'm sure if I was dating someone everything would be quite different - might be struggling with sleep for different reasons, even.)

Yes, the pills made me down, too... really down.

It sounds like you use your time 'up' well enough. Occasionally, when I'm very stressed, I'll wake up around the same time. I usually do pet chores(not sure why, its just what I do). Sometimes I'll check RF. I do normally go back to bed within half an hour to an hour, though.


Its a long story, but I tried getting up several days very early(7:30ish) for something, but I find being awake that early makes me crash about an hour or two later, and I don't recover as the day goes on. I also was getting depressed and having anxiety spells. I guess one's circadian rhythm really isn't easy to switch...

 

[exchemist]

Yes, the pills made me down, too... really down.

It sounds like you use your time 'up' well enough. Occasionally, when I'm very stressed, I'll wake up around the same time. I usually do pet chores(not sure why, its just what I do). Sometimes I'll check RF. I do normally go back to bed within half an hour to an hour, though.


Its a long story, but I tried getting up several days very early(7:30ish) for something, but I find being awake that early makes me crash about an hour or two later, and I don't recover as the day goes on. I also was getting depressed and having anxiety spells. I guess one's circadian rhythm really isn't easy to switch...

For you 0730 is early? I'm surprised. When we lived in Houston there would be maniacs out walking their dogs at 0530. And then eating dinner at 1800. (My wife, being French, thought the latter barbaric.) I thought that was a universal American thing. Evidently not.

I wouldn't dare get up. If I did I'm sure all my systems would kick in to start the day and I'd never be able to go back to bed and sleep. I do get out of bed and go for a pee, partly to reset my back, which can get a bit stiff, but with the lights off and then straight back into bed, to avoid triggering any of the "time to get up" circuitry.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I'm generally in bed at about 8:30-9:30 PM, awaken about 2AM and get up for about two hours, then sleep until about 7AM. I also get an afternoon nap of about an hour every day.

But this is normal, maybe desirable. From Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) - Scientific American Blog Network :

"Until not long ago, just about until electricity became ubiquitous, humans used to have a sleep pattern quite different from what we consider "normal" today. At dusk you go to sleep, at some point in the middle of the night you wake up for an hour or two, then fall asleep again until dawn. Thus there are two events of falling asleep and two events of waking up every night (plus, perhaps, a short nap in the afternoon). As indigenous people today, as well as people in non-electrified rural areas of the world, still follow this pattern, it is likely that our ancestors did, too."

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I'm generally in bed at about 8:30-9:30 PM, awaken about 2AM and get up for about two hours, then sleep until about 7AM. I also get an afternoon nap of about an hour every day.

But this is normal, maybe desirable. From Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) - Scientific American Blog Network :

"Until not long ago, just about until electricity became ubiquitous, humans used to have a sleep pattern quite different from what we consider "normal" today. At dusk you go to sleep, at some point in the middle of the night you wake up for an hour or two, then fall asleep again until dawn. Thus there are two events of falling asleep and two events of waking up every night (plus, perhaps, a short nap in the afternoon). As indigenous people today, as well as people in non-electrified rural areas of the world, still follow this pattern, it is likely that our ancestors did, too."

I like the idea of this, however I don't know if I could get myself to do it without an alarm.

Also I work 12 hour shifts three days a week, so during those three days I wouldn't be able to keep this rhythm consistently.

 

[exchemist]

I'm generally in bed at about 8:30-9:30 PM, awaken about 2AM and get up for about two hours, then sleep until about 7AM. I also get an afternoon nap of about an hour every day.

But this is normal, maybe desirable. From Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) - Scientific American Blog Network :

"Until not long ago, just about until electricity became ubiquitous, humans used to have a sleep pattern quite different from what we consider "normal" today. At dusk you go to sleep, at some point in the middle of the night you wake up for an hour or two, then fall asleep again until dawn. Thus there are two events of falling asleep and two events of waking up every night (plus, perhaps, a short nap in the afternoon). As indigenous people today, as well as people in non-electrified rural areas of the world, still follow this pattern, it is likely that our ancestors did, too."

Interesting. I've read this too and wondered about trying to adapt to it. So you go for ~5hrs, just as I do, then get up for 2hrs and go back for another 3hrs sleep. Suppose I could try 1030-0330, then 0530-0800 or so. Not sure what I'd feel like doing for 2hrs in the middle of the night though, when the heating is off. It could be a good time for some proper reading, I suppose, if I can keep warm.

Maybe I'll give it a try.

 

[The Hammer]

I tend to fall asleep between 11pm-1am. And I get up typically around 9am. My goal is to usually try and shoot for about 8.5-9 hours of sleep.

 

[JustGeorge]

For you 0730 is early? I'm surprised. When we lived in Houston there would be maniacs out walking their dogs at 0530. And then eating dinner at 1800. (My wife, being French, thought the latter barbaric.) I thought that was a universal American thing. Evidently not.

I wouldn't dare get up. If I did I'm sure all my systems would kick in to start the day and I'd never be able to go back to bed and sleep. I do get out of bed and go for a pee, partly to reset my back, which can get a bit stiff, but with the lights off and then straight back into bed, to avoid triggering any of the "time to get up" circuitry.

Yeah, I'd say its fairly normal for a 30something in the US to be out of bed by 6-7ish, especially if they have children(actually, if you have children, its almost expected). I'm a terrible American, though. The later you stay in bed, the more poo-poo faces you get from people. I don't care if people give me poo-poo faces. I'm going to sleep, and I'm going to sleep at the hours I want. Its really my only luxury.

Your dinner time doesn't sound like a problem to me. We eat breakfast around 11am, eat lunch around 4pm, and supper around 9pm.

Thankfully, I'm so bushed that if I do the 5am accidental wake up, I don't usually have much trouble falling asleep again(unless I'm worrying too much).

I'm generally in bed at about 8:30-9:30 PM, awaken about 2AM and get up for about two hours, then sleep until about 7AM. I also get an afternoon nap of about an hour every day.

But this is normal, maybe desirable. From Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) - Scientific American Blog Network :

"Until not long ago, just about until electricity became ubiquitous, humans used to have a sleep pattern quite different from what we consider "normal" today. At dusk you go to sleep, at some point in the middle of the night you wake up for an hour or two, then fall asleep again until dawn. Thus there are two events of falling asleep and two events of waking up every night (plus, perhaps, a short nap in the afternoon). As indigenous people today, as well as people in non-electrified rural areas of the world, still follow this pattern, it is likely that our ancestors did, too."

I've read that, too. I always wonder what they heck they do with the kids during that time... who can get their kids to sleep at dusk?

 

[Heyo]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

When I'm not travelling or have dates, I follow an everyman sleep cycle (a.k.a. polyphasic sleep). I go to bed at 1:30 and wake up at 6:00. I also do 30 min naps at 13:00 and 20:00. I just hope that the cats learn to respect those times (they don't currently).

 

[Shaul]

I go to bed about 9:00 and wake up around 5:00. I am a morning person and got more so in the Marine Corps. Regular exercise helps with maintaining a regular sleep pattern. It is also wise to avoid caffeine later in the day.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

I'm often in bed by 9.0pm, but probably watching TV, and as often listening to the radio. Can't tell exactly when I fall asleep, given I often miss some TV or radio, but I usually am awake by about 5.0am, although lying in and listening to the radio unless a clothing washday.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

We've given the morning people too much power. I refuse to give into their ways.

 

[Trailblazer]

Do you have a regular time you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Does it vary?

I've recently decided to start going to bed around 8-9pm and then TRYING to get up early. My aim is at least 7:30am right now, hopefully in time I can start getting up at 5am naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to this having been on a different schedule for most of my life.

On work days I never go to sleep before midnight, but I usually don't fall asleep till 1 am and I get up at 7:30 am.

On my three day weekends I go to bed whenever I feel like it and I get up whenever I wake up.
I usually sleep longer on weekends, as long as I can sleep, in order to catch up on my sleep.

I always have a cat or two or three keeping me company on the couch in the living room, which is where I sleep, in front of the 50 inch plasma TV. The TV helps put me to sleep, but I also take 20 mg of melatonin for sleep.