Are You a Night Owl or Early Bird?

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the preferences of individuals regarding being night owls versus early birds. Participants share personal experiences, highlighting the benefits of nighttime productivity, such as increased creativity and focus, particularly in quiet environments. Many contributors express a strong dislike for mornings, associating them with discomfort and reduced productivity. The conversation also touches on the impact of life changes, such as parenthood, on sleep patterns and daily routines.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of circadian rhythms and their effects on sleep patterns
  • Familiarity with terms like diurnal, crepuscular, matutinal, and vespertine
  • Knowledge of how environmental factors, such as light exposure, influence mood and productivity
  • Awareness of the psychological implications of sleep preferences on daily life
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the science behind circadian rhythms and their impact on productivity
  • Explore strategies for optimizing work schedules based on individual sleep preferences
  • Investigate the effects of light exposure on mood and cognitive function
  • Learn about the psychological aspects of sleep patterns and their relation to lifestyle changes
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for psychologists, sleep researchers, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of sleep preferences and their effects on productivity and well-being.

Drakkith
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Are you a days or nights person?

I'm a nights person. Let me explain. I *love* the night. I love the darkness, the fact that its generally quiet and there aren't many people around. That's not to say I *hate* the daytime, it just makes me feel..."ugh"...when I have to do anything during the day. Like right now it's 5:40 AM and the Sun will be coming up soon, and even though I'm not even planning on doing anything outside, I want it to stay down. Mornings...should be shot and burned. Twice. Every day. I'd rather get to work when the Sun is going down than when it's coming up.

So what are you?
 
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I'm generally diurnal + crepuscular, with the help of dark glasses. I like the day, but not too bright.

With respect to crepuscular - "special classes of crepuscular behaviour include matutinal (or "matinal") and vespertine, denoting species active only in the dawn or only in the dusk, respectively." Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular

If I'm well rested, I like being up in the early morning while it's quiet, especially if outdoors. Similarly, I like being active in the evening or late at night.

During early years of university, I'd be active from about 0600 into the next morning. During later years of my undergrad program that changed to more active during the day, and less at night. During my MS program, I was at school during the day, and at a full time job during the evenings (1600 to midnight), then graveyard (midnight to 0800). I gave up the job when I started a PhD program.
 
Drakkith said:
Are you a days or nights person?

I'm a nights person. Let me explain. I *love* the night. I love the darkness, the fact that its generally quiet and there aren't many people around. That's not to say I *hate* the daytime, it just makes me feel..."ugh"...when I have to do anything during the day. Like right now it's 5:40 AM and the Sun will be coming up soon, and even though I'm not even planning on doing anything outside, I want it to stay down. Mornings...should be shot and burned. Twice. Every day. I'd rather get to work when the Sun is going down than when it's coming up.

So what are you?
I'm exactly like you. I hate sunlight, I wear sunglasses all of the time, I have installed black curtains in my bedroom.
 
I quite like sunlight, but I think mornings are just a mathematical fiction to make clocks easier to design.

Without any external constraints I tend to sleep from about 0400 to 1100. Sometimes that has been useful when working on projects with an 8 hour time difference between the UK and the US west coast, and "panic of the day" doesn't even start until about 5 pm local time.
 
I was a night owl until I had kids. Now I have to force myself to be productive earlier in the day. I was a lot more willing to work at night.
 
I used to enjoy working 4pm to 1:30am. Now, I get up at 3:30am and finish around 1pm.
 
If I need to think creatively, or solve a problem, somewhere around 2AM is best to do it!
 
I'm a night person just cause my allergies seem to bother me a lot less at night, and I'm able to focus more since I'm not sneezing and don't have to worry about my eyes getting all cloudy. Allegra works some, but it's still miserable.

I do have to get up cause of my daughter, but if she's not here I don't bother. They say people who are night people are depressed, but I don't agree with that at all.
 
Also work nights as well at a nursing home, and it's so much better at night than at daytime.
 
  • #10
I'm an afternoon and night person. I love doing outdoor activities so for that I prefer daylight. Also I love when it's sunny, a sunny sky can make me smile no matter what is going on in my life. I also enjoy night time, I love watching movies in the dark, looking at the starts, I love going for runs and working out when it's dark, I feel silly when I do those things in the light. I feel my most creative so for some classes in school that is helpful. I just hate mornings, but tea helps:smile:
 
  • #11
I can be a morning or night person, as things evolve. Sometimes, I'm awake quite late waiting for an opportune moment to start a wood fire. Other times, I might get out of bed in the morning and notice that the house is cold - then I put in some morning-time to warm the place back up before my wife has to get out of bed.

Before we were married, I was always a night person. I liked working night shifts at the local mill because there were fewer bosses around to muck things up, plus I earned a modest shift differential for the night shifts. With nobody at home to consider, I was happy to work nights. If you're in a mill, it's not like you are able to gaze out the windows anyway.
 
  • #12
turbo said:
I can be a morning or night person, as things evolve. Sometimes, I'm awake quite late waiting for an opportune moment to start a wood fire. Other times, I might get out of bed in the morning and notice that the house is cold - then I put in some morning-time to warm the place back up before my wife has to get out of bed.

Before we were married, I was always a night person. I liked working night shifts at the local mill because there were fewer bosses around to muck things up, plus I earned a modest shift differential for the night shifts. With nobody at home to consider, I was happy to work nights. If you're in a mill, it's not like you are able to gaze out the windows anyway.

Yep, less bosses around makes work so much more enjoyable.
 
  • #13
I'm night as well, I go to sleep when most of my time zone is about finishing lunch and get about of bed in time to get up around quarter to 9.

I'm pretty surprised there are so many night people.

...or the day people don't care to weigh in, because I don't know many night people that won't tell you all about how odd their schedule is. The are as bad as the ones who don't watch TV.
 
  • #14
_____ _____.
 
  • #15
I am definitely a day person. I like the sun, I like turning off my apartment lights in favour for natural light, I like mornings, sunrises, everything to do with a new day starting. I just prefer natural light much, much more than artificial.
 
  • #16
I'm a dawn-dusker. I love to see the sun rise and set. I'm happy to take rests in between, but as I'm getting getting older, I wonder if I really need that nap in between.
 
  • #17
Intelligent things are best done in night.
 
  • #18
kholdstare said:
intelligent things are best done in night.

I agree!
 
  • #19
Kholdstare said:
Intelligent things are best done in night.
errr... like sex?

I grown up seeing night associated with ghosts, fear, darkness, robberies, and theaveries. But, it's so nice going out in the night when streets are open, quiet, and beautiful!
 
  • #20
I'm not really a day person or a night person, but I definitely enjoy being inside when it's raining. For some reason the sound of rain through a window makes me comfortable.
 
  • #21
Kholdstare said:
Intelligent things are best done in night.

I do virtually all of my reading at night. There's a intimate solitariness that one just can experience during the day.
 
  • #22
Given the choice, I would definitely go with daytime. I feel a lot more alert and clear-headed when I'm working in a brightly-lit (preferably with natural light) environment. Also there's nothing quite like feeling the warmth of the sun on your back. I feel that it brings on a sense of ease and even euphoria. Of course, the latter is more conducive to being relaxed and carefree than it is to intense intellectual work. In practice, unfortunately, I don't always have the luxury of confining my academic work to daylight hours. In fact, more often than not, I'm working late into the night, as I'm sure is the case with most people.
 
  • #23
FreeMitya said:
I do virtually all of my reading at night. There's a intimate solitariness that one just can experience during the day.

Perhaps solitude would have been a better word.
 
  • #24
I've been having a lot of trouble trying to keep a regular schedule. I plan every day to wake up early, before 10:30am, and go to bed before 3am. And almost everyday I failed.
I guess I'm really not a morning person.

I feel like I get better sleep while I am on observing run. I like to think that I was born to be an astronomer :biggrin:
 

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