Hi. My name is ledmitter and I'm an alchoholic.

ledmitter_nli · Mar 15, 2013

OK not quite. But I am a chronic insomniac. Graveyard hours are like daytime hours according to my twisted circadian rhythm. I am most productive at night.

I have tried multiple means of getting back onto mainstream operating time. But bedtime creep manages to push the hour hand further along, day by day, and your back onto an upside down schedule.

Anyone else?

Is it normal or abnormal?

Does anyone believe there could be an evolutionary reason why a small segment of our population are night-owls and it's completely normal?

AnAppleSnail · Mar 15, 2013

Lucky. Here I am back in the office... Training maintenance on how to run pumps. Whee!

Do you miscue your circadian rhythm? The web site for F.lux has a lot of papers on how this can cause you to shift your sleep hours.

ledmitter_nli · Mar 15, 2013

I worked the graveyard shift 15 years ago for a year - 11:00PM to 7:00AM. Ever since I could never maintain a normal sleeping pattern.

Sleeping Pills? [checK]
"Day light therapy?" [checK]
Drunkenness? [unfortunately]
Caffeine keep awake overdose sessions? [checK]

My city apt is my workspace, so I can't really separate the sleeping area from my living area.

Part of the problem is this freaking forum.

And the internet in general. Too much information to take in and think about. Can't stop the churn.

jtr1962 · Mar 15, 2013

3:15 AM and wide awake here. I normally go to bed roughly the same time people are getting up to go to work or school. Unless I have no choice (i.e. work or school) I can't keep to mainstream hours. Even when I do, I feel totally drained all the time. And I recall my schedule quickly creeped back to night hours during vacations or school breaks. In fact, I attribute my relative lack of success in life to being basically like a zombie during hours when others are at their peak.

And yes, I do believe there is an evolutionary reason for day and night people. Day people took care of agriculture, building shelters, gathering fruits and nuts, etc. Basically, in a time of limited artificial light (i.e. fire), they did the tasks which couldn't be done at night. Night people were the hunters and sometimes the warriors. Remember a lot of prey animals tend to come out to feed under cover of darkness. And their predators keep the same hours. Besides that, during the night many diurnal animals are resting or otherwise off-guard, making them somewhat easier to catch, especially if they have poor night vision. Bottom line, being able to be on full alert at night made for effective hunting. It was also necessary for effective defense of the settlement. The day activities were more labor intensive than the night activities, and so more people are day people.

I feel it's best to just accept what you are, and find a way to be productive which suits your hours. I felt world's better after getting laid off in 1990, starting my home business, and keeping my own hours. It was like a revelation how much less tired I felt despite sleeping fewer hours than before. It's a shame society has yet to recognize night people. This may well be the last great prejudice which exists in our society. We're essentially forcing a significant segment of the population to keep hours which severely hurt their productivity, and possibly their health.

jtr1962 · Mar 15, 2013

I also should mention these things tend to run in families. Most of my mother's side are night people. My late father probably was one even though it didn't seem to run on his side. The only one in the immediate family who isn't a night person is my sister. She gets cranky if she's up much past maybe midnight. Note that illness can sometimes temporarily change things. I've been pretty sick on and off for the last month, to the point I've probably been sleeping upwards of 12 hours a day. When you sleep that much, there will be times you'll tend to rise during "normal" hours but it won't last once I'm feeling better.

ganymede · Mar 15, 2013

Maybe you guys should move to another time zone... :thumbsup:

ledmitter_nli · Mar 15, 2013

jtr1962 said:
3:15 AM and wide awake here. I normally go to bed roughly the same time people are getting up to go to work or school. Unless I have no choice (i.e. work or school) I can't keep to mainstream hours. Even when I do, I feel totally drained all the time. And I recall my schedule quickly creeped back to night hours during vacations or school breaks. In fact, I attribute my relative lack of success in life to being basically like a zombie during hours when others are at their peak.

And yes, I do believe there is an evolutionary reason for day and night people. Day people took care of agriculture, building shelters, gathering fruits and nuts, etc. Basically, in a time of limited artificial light (i.e. fire), they did the tasks which couldn't be done at night. Night people were the hunters and sometimes the warriors. Remember a lot of prey animals tend to come out to feed under cover of darkness. And their predators keep the same hours. Besides that, during the night many diurnal animals are resting or otherwise off-guard, making them somewhat easier to catch, especially if they have poor night vision. Bottom line, being able to be on full alert at night made for effective hunting. It was also necessary for effective defense of the settlement. The day activities were more labor intensive than the night activities, and so more people are day people.

I feel it's best to just accept what you are, and find a way to be productive which suits your hours. I felt world's better after getting laid off in 1990, starting my home business, and keeping my own hours. It was like a revelation how much less tired I felt despite sleeping fewer hours than before. It's a shame society has yet to recognize night people. This may well be the last great prejudice which exists in our society. We're essentially forcing a significant segment of the population to keep hours which severely hurt their productivity, and possibly their health.

Yeah. Similar line to what I was thinking. Somebody has to keep watch over the tribe when resting.

BTW: You going to head out? I'm thinking about it.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...Y-PA-CT-Area&p=4160684&viewfull=1#post4160684

EZO · Mar 15, 2013

ledmitter_nli said:
I worked the graveyard shift 15 years ago for a year - 11:00PM to 7:00AM. Ever since I could never maintain a normal sleeping pattern.

Sleeping Pills? [checK]
"Day light therapy?" [checK]
Drunkenness? [unfortunately]
Caffeine keep awake overdose sessions? [checK]

My city apt is my workspace, so I can't really separate the sleeping area from my living area.

Part of the problem is this freaking forum. And the internet in general. Too much information to take in and think about. Can't stop the churn.

There are a number of things not on your list that you might consider that could help your problem.

One of them is melatonin. It has been demonstrated to help reset the sleep cycle (Circadian rhythm) as well as cause drowsiness. Some people use it like a sleeping pill but it really isn't one. You'll need to do some research into how to use melatonin, what doses to take (important!, this is very individual) and what time of day to take it but many folks have found it helpful and it might be worth trying, especially because it doesn't cost much. Sometimes it is used in conjunction with light therapy. There is even a prescription prolonged release melatonin drug available called Circadin. Melatonin works for some people and not others and some questions have been raised about its use but it is generally considered safe. Another option might be to seek help from a professional sleep therapist or center. There are entire medical practices that specialize in treating insomnia.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/940.html

You mention overdosing on caffeine to try to keep you awake. Have you considered giving it up altogether? (Not easy to do, I know!)

You mention CPF and the internet in general. Perhaps consider turning off your computer and other electronics at night around bedtime. (easy to do)

Alcohol messes with your blood sugar and will screw up your sleep cycle. It often makes people drowsy but wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Have you considered exercise? (This really works great on many levels.)

Hot shower or even better, a hot bath before bed.

There are some great sleep and relaxation apps on the iTunes Store and for Android. Of course, you don't need an "app" to do deep breathing or relaxation exercises.

I've had my own issues with sleep and this is why I know about some of these suggestions and can recommend them.

ledmitter_nli · Mar 15, 2013

Yep. Tried Melatonin. Adapted quick.
I exercise every season except winter. Run a mile or two a day. Speed rope. Some weight training. I'm slim and set. Still no effect.
Managing diet. Nope.
White noise therapy, subliminal messages, consulting tarot cards. Nope.

Ambien works but I don't want dependence. So I quit those after a month.
I must have a brain tumor or something. I just live with being an insomniac. Makes facilitating this hobby easier.

Hi. My name is ledmitter and I'm an alchoholic.

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast

AnAppleSnail

Flashlight Enthusiast

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast

jtr1962

Flashaholic

jtr1962

Flashaholic

ganymede

Enlightened

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast

EZO

Flashlight Enthusiast

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast

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