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Last year for a while I was doing that (going to bed 8:30 to 9). My house is mostly heated by wood stove so last year I started waking up early to restart the f

Last year for a while I was doing that (going to bed 8:30 to 9). My house is mostly heated by wood stove so last year I started waking up early to restart the fire and it just stuck. This year I'm getting up a little later (maybe average 6:30, to be out the door by 8:30), mostly because I am writing more at night this winter, and its not as cold. I think in the summer I'll switch to writing in the morning more and go back to waking up 5:30-6. Years ago, I would go to bed at 12-2am. I always used to say most of my best work was done between 10pm-2am. I much prefer it this new way, though past me would have a hard time believing it!

QuercusMax 7y ago
How much of this is just the natural consequences of aging? Humans' sleep patterns do tend to shift as you age - teens and 20s naturally want to go to bed and get up later, and elderly folks go to bed early and wake up early. What you're experiencing might just be due to your naturally changing circadian rhythms.
- simonsarris 7y ago
  That's possible, but it seems unlikely, as it was a conscious decision made in one day when I moved/necessitated by heating. If it was aging, I would expect it to at least be gradual, or unconscious, or something.
  - Darkphibre 7y ago
    I'll second this finding. I'm not getting younger, sure... but I can still go to a party convention and average 3hrs sleep a night for 5 days, or "decide" to play Beat Saber until 2AM. The reality is that if it's important, you'll make time to go to bed earlier. It takes a while for the body to hit restful sleep so early (and using blackout curtains / dawn clocks have been pivotal). For me it was wanting to start working out in a particular morning class... I immediately shifted from midnight to 9:30-10 to give myself the extra time in the morning.
caconym_ 7y ago
Hey fellow morning writer. Last year I made the switch and used those unspoilt morning hours to finish a 100k word first draft of a novel, which is a first (heh) for me. 10/10 would not go back to selling my brain's most fertile hours to The Man.

QuercusMax 7y ago

How much of this is just the natural consequences of aging? Humans' sleep patterns do tend to shift as you age - teens and 20s naturally want to go to bed and get up later, and elderly folks go to bed early and wake up early. What you're experiencing might just be due to your naturally changing circadian rhythms.

simonsarris 7y ago
That's possible, but it seems unlikely, as it was a conscious decision made in one day when I moved/necessitated by heating. If it was aging, I would expect it to at least be gradual, or unconscious, or something.
- Darkphibre 7y ago
  I'll second this finding. I'm not getting younger, sure... but I can still go to a party convention and average 3hrs sleep a night for 5 days, or "decide" to play Beat Saber until 2AM. The reality is that if it's important, you'll make time to go to bed earlier. It takes a while for the body to hit restful sleep so early (and using blackout curtains / dawn clocks have been pivotal). For me it was wanting to start working out in a particular morning class... I immediately shifted from midnight to 9:30-10 to give myself the extra time in the morning.

caconym_ 7y ago

Hey fellow morning writer. Last year I made the switch and used those unspoilt morning hours to finish a 100k word first draft of a novel, which is a first (heh) for me. 10/10 would not go back to selling my brain's most fertile hours to The Man.