Being a Night Owl Could Be Making You Sick

re: Being a Night Owl Could Be Making You Sick

Barbara Charis — 10/6/2020 3:55:11 PM

All my life I have been a night owl. I can't go to sleep until everything is in order. i am not a TV- watching couch potato. I have been into exercise, since I was a little child. My father used to take me on long walks daily during the thirties of at least 3- 5 miles. We used to bike 10 miles to the river and swim all day and then bike home without any food all day. I was very used to not eating, until I turned 12. I was a night owl, even in my teens; I used to read under the covers with a flashlight and rarely fell asleep before midnight...then up at 7 for school. My entire marriage for 21 years it was bed at 1 and up at 7. Even today, I rarely get in bed before 1 am, but I sleep in most of the time now. However, I am still into daily stair-climbing...and I feel great. I had a very physically- active friend who never got more than 5 hours a night for fifty years and he was never sick. He finally went to sleep at 80 and never woke up. There are many other factors, which contribute or deteriorate one's health. People really need to be diligent about doing their own research...and see what works for them. I still read daily - and have five new books sitting on my desk. I used to go to libraries, but could not part with a book that I loved; so I now have an extensive library. I look at all kinds of info that I see on the Internet...and ask for guidance as to its validity. Dr. Mercola covers more interesting information than any other I have seen. As of 2021, it will be 60 years, since i got into health research; and still experiment with information that I come across, because learning never ends. As for sleep I would love to be able to see more sunrises, but after a lifetime of being a night owl...it is a difficult habit to break.

re: Being a Night Owl Could Be Making You Sick

Catryna — 10/6/2020 7:51:25 AM

Even as a child I required less sleep than most people. One of my brothers is the same way. I cannot sleep for more than 6 hours per night, so between 10pm - 11pm are when I turn in. I wake between 4am to 5am, closer to 4am most mornings. Which is just fine with me.

re: Being a Night Owl Could Be Making You Sick

Bluesss — 10/3/2020 3:49:37 AM

Yes, I keep waiting for something to change, knowing all of this sitting I do now isn't good. I miss having a yard, always planting, watering, clipping bushes or doing something in the sun. Apartment life isn't working very well, although outdoor life was better before the pandemic.

As for scheduling, I go around the clock. Sometimes I love being awake early AM, but that won't last long after staying awake a little later at night. I'll sleep later the next day and stay awake later that night. The schedule I like least is all night awake and sleep all day. That is okay for a day or two. What seems most natural is sleeping until about 11AM. In the past I didn't sit much while awake. I tend to pass out for 10 or 12 hours, or I like to sleep that long and feel great. This is okay, indoor life, but I feel like I'm in a cage.

Like RedPlanet1, earlier days I walked everywhere. Now, I'm not too interested in any long walking. One day after looking at the area where all of the walking took place, I thought there is no way I want to walk that far now. Body clock maybe, what time were you born? I was born about noon. That's when I like to see the light of day. During search, VW will be selling electric beach buggies in the future, so going to the beach to run about seems like the solution.

re: Being a Night Owl Could Be Making You Sick

Almond — 10/3/2020 1:47:01 AM

I think some of us simply have different biorhythms. My husband is an early bird. He thinks waking up at 5 a.m. is terrific. I would be dead if I adhered to his schedule for very long. However, hunting season is coming up... After that, I will be ready for my well-deserved long winter's nap. I do sleep more over the winter. I think it is nature's way of conserving energy and maintaining immunity. The older I get, the more flexibility I have setting my own hours. I find that I am most efficient as a night person. I need the peace that comes with a quiet house that allows me time to think, solve problems and be creative. Ideally, I would wake up with the sun and not before. I always do my morning exercises, too. It may not be the night time hours that promote diabetes as much as the tendency to watch tv and snack, etc.