I think a lot of people think it's more "noble" (or something) to be a morning person. And I sorta get that - early bird gets the worm and blah, blah, blah. "Being a morning person is more dignified" is such a commonly held notion that Stuff Christians Like has a post about how we assume God is a morning person and Satan is a night owl.
But I've stopped feeling bad about it. I'm more productive at night. I need my sleep so that I'm productive throughout the day. I can't even tell you how many times I've tried to change my sleep schedule so that I go to bed earlier and get up earlier. But it doesn't stick. My insomnia certainly hasn't helped in the past, but I know that there are some things that I can do to help improve my sleep and slightly change my sleep schedule.
I came across a list of six tips to survive sleep deprivation. They are very helpful for me:
- Scale back your commitments
- Use caffeine wisely
- Plan your meals and snacks carefully
- Take naps when possible
- Plan your schedule around your natural rhythms
- Prioritize your to-do list
I already do pretty well with #6, but I could improve in #1-4 in order to decrease some of my sleep deprivation. #5 just reinforces my theory that it is best for me to get my sleep in the mornings and burn the oil a little more at night when I am naturally more productive and alert.
I know that I can't just sleep my mornings away (it does nothing but clutter up your day), and I've been known to exhibit some extraordinary snoozing techniques in my day (I'm a big fan of #1 and #2), so I do need to have a better grasp on getting up at a certain time - but that certain time will still not be obnoxiously early. I'm going to work on a good balance of getting better sleep and being productive with the time I am awake. We'll see what shakes out in the next few months.
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Interesting, I was just thinking about this idea this morning while I was biking....how someone who gets up early is seen as being a more productive go-get-em type of person when in reality, I probably sleep just as much as them, just at different hours.
I have also recently re-vamped my sleeping habits. And by "re-vamped" I mean "gave any structure to whatsoever." Instead of go-to-bed-when-I-feel-like-it and get-up-when-I-feel-like-it-or-when-my-schedule-demands (an easy habit to fall into when I don't work first thing in the morning), I am trying to sleep from midnight-8 each night and I am trying to allow just one hour of flexibility (i.e. If I don't get to bed until 1, I sleep until 9 if my schedule allows. If I need to get up at 7, I need to try to be in bed by 11). It's been working pretty well for me. I feel better in the mornings (I have also been working out in the mornings, so that might also have something to do with it). I guess most of that has to do with #5.
I really need to work on #3. I have gotten in a bad habit of eating something when I get home from work at night right before I go to bed. Blech.
Anywho, I just thought it was interesting that we were thinking about similar things. Sissies.
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