What is the best sleeping schedule?

geormiet · #1 06-10-2005, 12:58 PM

I graduated from school and went pro about a month ago. At the same time my live in girlfriend left the country for about 2 months, so I'm living on my own.

This is the first time in my life where I'm not being told when to wake up every day (either by a job, school, or girlfriend). As a result, I have been going to bed later and later. This past week I've been falling asleep around 5-6AM and waking up between 1 and 2.

There are advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:
poker games are better late at night.

I get to watch a lot of quality infomercials, such as Billy Blanks Boot Camp workout video.

Disadvantages:

-It feels like there are fewer hours in the day. The hours between 2-6AM are totally useless to me.

-I feel incredibly lazy and lethargic waking up at 2PM

- Since nobody I know stays up so late, I'm spending 1/3 of my waking hours complete devoid of social interaction by default.

- Even though the games are good, I usually end up playing only 3-4 hours/day because of my laziness. I was hoping on getting 6-7.

Today for some bizarre reason, I woke up at 9, after falling asleep at 5AM. On a whim I decided to not go back to sleep, and instead walked outside to get a coffee, and I've decided to start playing poker now, despite the crappy games.

Despite only 4 hours of sleep, my energy level right now is much higher than usual.

If you have no reason to wake up at a certain time every day, when do you choose to sleep, and why?

Uston · #2 06-10-2005, 01:10 PM

One forgot one huge disadvantage to going to bed at 6AM: people are 100x more likely to annoy you when you're trying to sleep. Phone calls, Jehovah's witnesses knocking on your door, neighbors using leafblowers, etc.

jstnrgrs · #3 06-10-2005, 01:12 PM

Until recently, I worked from 3-11pm. While I had this job, I usually sleped from 6am to 2 pm, and it sucked. I had no life whatsoever, and after about a year of this, it was really having an effect on me. I also found myself unable to change the pattern. Things are much better now that I have a job that starts at 8am.

I recomend that you get up early if you can. If you can't, then I would work on a 25 or 26 hour rotation so that you will at least be up for the good parts of the day sometimes.

Alobar · #4 06-10-2005, 01:50 PM

Im pretty much exactly like you. If left to my own devices, I will usually get in a schedule where I fall asleep around 6-7am and get up around 3-4pm.

All the reasons you listed as disadvantages are all the reasons I now force myself to keep a decent sleep schedule. Its hard, but im much happier when I get up early (before 10am).

RunDownHouse · #5 06-10-2005, 02:28 PM

Disadvantage: humans aren't nocturnal.

A_C_Slater · #6 06-10-2005, 02:37 PM

Two Zen students were standing at the edge of a river. One of the students turned to the other and said "My master can write the name of the Buddha on a piece of paper with his finger while standing on the other side of the river."

Upon hearing this the other student replies "That's nothing... my master eats when he's hungry and sleeps when he's tired."

youtalkfunny · #7 06-10-2005, 02:48 PM

I go to sleep when I'm sleepy, and wake up when I'm ready. Which, for me, means sleeping from approx 4 AM to noon.

Letting the clock dictate your bedtime, instead of your body, just seems so damn unnatural to me.

("Unnatural". That's funny. With all Big Macs I eat, suddenly I'm worried about what's "unnatural".)

Popinjay · #8 06-10-2005, 02:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I go to sleep when I'm sleepy, and wake up when I'm ready. Which, for me, means sleeping from approx 4 AM to noon.

Letting the clock dictate your bedtime, instead of your body, just seems so damn unnatural to me.

("Unnatural". That's funny. With all Big Macs I eat, suddenly I'm worried about what's "unnatural".)

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually it's only "unnatural" if you've accustomed your body to that schedule. Many people actually do get tired at 11 and sleep until 8. It's probably more unnatural to spend more of your waking hours in the night darkness.

The4Aces · #9 06-10-2005, 03:08 PM

look up the uberman sleep schedual

blaze666 · #10 06-10-2005, 03:33 PM

sleep is for suckers. i am in school, and i get very fustrated that i have to go to bed so early (about 10 or so) so i just get up very early and play poker. on the weekends i aim to get in at least 20 hours of being awake a day. so i go to bed at 2am and wake at 6am.