Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

directorsblog.nih.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 358 posts

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#311

Post by m463 »

sparkie wrote: post #164
wpietri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I made the switch. Not intentionally; it just kind of happened. I think there were a lot of things that made it work, like taking up running (in the mornings), avoiding stimulants, and good sleep hygiene. But the one that finally made the difference surprised me: it's that I'm not a responsible lightswitch user. I built an automated lighting system such that dawn in my house comes at 6 am and gets gradually brighter.…

I made the switch unintentionally too. I ended up with a job in logistics which required me in work at 0630, with a 30 min commute. Started going to bed earlier to try and maintain 6-8 hours sleep. Was working 13 hour days and pretty tired by the end of the day anyway. I'm pretty sure the biggest change which made me an early riser was my diet though. I stopped drinking sugary drinks and cut out carbs almost entirely…

I think food is definitely related to your sleep cycle.

I tried a bunch of things, but eating at the right time helps.

If I eat too close to bedtime, I think my sleep is initially ok (food makes you sleepy), but it's possible it disturbs my sleep or I get acid reflux or something.

If I eat too far from bedtime, I wake up I suspect because my blood sugar is low -- and of course the body produces adrenaline when that happens.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#313

Post by toomanybeersies »

arcturus17 wrote: post #91
dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

I've done everything too, and the only thing that works for me is sleeping pills. I think it's a very unpopular view nowadays (esp. after Why We Sleep), but a small dose of a benzodiazepine changes my life completely. I'm in the midst of a full diagnostic course including cerebral scans, a sleep study and blood analysis, but my neurologist told me there's a good chance that nothing actionable will be revealed and tha…

I've taken the opposite approach to you, I guess. I take 10-15 mg dexamphetamine every morning, first thing when my alarm goes off.

I've never particularly had a problem going to sleep once I'm in bed though, and have just struggled rolling out of bed within a reasonable timeframe (apparently a very normal symptom of ADHD, which I'm prescribed the dex for), causing me to stay up late to try and get things done, causing my sleep cycle to be pushed back even further. At one point during university, when I had nothing I needed to be awake and on time for, I was doing 20 hours up, then 10 hours in bed.

Now instead of taking 1+ hours to get out of bed and get going, it takes me 20 minutes. My brain just needs a bit of a jumpstart in the morning.

I can't recommend enough getting professional help for chronic issues like poor sleep patterns, if you're in a country where it's affordable. The worst that can happen is they say there's nothing they can do, on the other hand, it might be that it might be as simple as medication.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#314

Post by [deleted] »

dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

[deleted]

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#315

Post by zeta0134 »

Raphmedia wrote: post #182
boomlinde wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you were able to "no longer be a night owl" after changing diet, through exercise or by other changes in your behavior, you were in fact never an actual night owl but simply someone with bad sleeping habits. Is there an established strict definition of "night owl" that supports this conclusion? I always thought a night owl meant anyone who for whatever reason prefers to stay up late and sleep in, which doesn't r…

This is part of the issue and one of the causes of the stigma. People who have biological and/or genetic particularities and are unable to follow regular sleep cycles should not be put in the same category as people who have regular circadian rhythm. This article is about biological factors so its safe to assume we are discussing about people with actual circadian disorders and not people who have bad habits. "Circad…

I think for it to be a clinical problem, there needs to be a struggle. Like, in my particular case, I enjoy staying up late. The neighbors are quiet, my housemates are generally falling asleep, and I've got an hour or two to myself to knock something out or research something I find interesting. There's no struggle though; I found a job that lets me work an evening shift and I couldn't be happier with the state of things. I feel like if I needed to get up regularly very early in the morning, there would be an adjustment period and then I would equalize on a new normal.

That certainly fits the description of "night owl," but I don't think there's anything clinical about it. My particular manifestation is more of a lifestyle choice, and based on what I observe in the tech field I'm hardly alone in making this choice. Folks who do have a sleeping disorder causing night owl tendencies to manifest (especially when they'd prefer, socially, to rise early) are in a different boat altogether, and I'm... honestly not qualified to classify them. It's an interesting space.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#316

Post by forgotmypw16 »

dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

There's no better time to write or code than late at night, in my opinion. I don't stay up until morning every night, but some.

I have switched away from routinized, schedule-based sleeping, and towards going to sleep when I am tired, waking up when I'm ready, and listening to my body for what it wants.

When it's cold, gray, rainy, short days, I sleep more on average. When the weather is warm and sunny, I sleep much less. If I'm feeling down or like I'm coming down with something, I let myself sleep as much as will fit, sometimes 16-20 hours or even more.

On occasion I do scheduled things, and I try to anticipate it and steer the day before, sometimes resorting to an alarm.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#317

Post by taneq »

yumraj wrote: post #81
dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

> Based on the comments here, I just need to have a kid. Personal anecdote, that won't help much. You'll still sleep at midnight, except that instead of waking at 9:00am, you'll have to wake up at 6:00am.

Yep, or 4:45 like this morning. -_-

Kids are very luck-of-the-draw, too. You can get one who sleeps through like a champ, or you can get one that guarantees you won't have a solid night's sleep for half a decade.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#318

Post by Non24Throw »

bigbaguette wrote: post #227
Non24Throw wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you’re describing sounds similar to me years ago Then one day I moved to a house that had no internet, and we would have to wait a month to have satellite put in, and we had no smartphones After 20+ years of just thinking I had a sleeping disorder, losing internet access and living like a pilgrim caused my sleep schedule to naturally coincide with the setting and rising of the sun Without any deliberate effort f…

Same when I go camping in a natural reserve, without electricity: daylight is the sleep governor and it's incredibly effective and effortless, without even a sensation of jetlag. But it's not the place for cerebral activity, where things works best after hours. I guess in the end it's a matter of performing well under distractions or not. I often found that the reason for late night performance was due to the lack of…

I had a similar outlook, I thought I could only code productively during hours where other people weren’t working and I knew I wouldn’t be bothered.

But I started exercising during the pilgrim days, mornings, and the habit stuck but now I do evenings. I feel most productive now between 8am-noon, even with people around.

There was a job change too though, so can’t guarantee it was the exercise that changed things. Exercise was definitely a massive net benefit either way though.

I go really hard with kettlebells for about an hour/day. Very low-impact, no stress to the joints, loads usually not heavy enough to cause severe muscle failure. Cardiovascular/aerobic state is similar to running, climbing stairs, swimming, etc. The exercises are all compound, and there’s enough resistance to build a good amount of muscle too (kettlebells go up to 200lbs).

Flexibility too, most of the motions involve stretching from the hips in one way or another.

And all you need is a living room and a kettlebell.

I feel like I found the holy grail of exercising, so I take every opportunity to recommend it. Google Pavel’s Simple and Sinister routine if interested, or check out /r/kettlebell. I add overhead presses and standing rows, a lot of people add snatches and cleans. Always new things to try. It’s fun.

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#319

Post by jachee »

forgotmypw16 wrote: post #316
dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

There's no better time to write or code than late at night, in my opinion. I don't stay up until morning every night, but some. I have switched away from routinized, schedule-based sleeping, and towards going to sleep when I am tired, waking up when I'm ready, and listening to my body for what it wants. When it's cold, gray, rainy, short days, I sleep more on average. When the weather is warm and sunny, I sleep much…

How do you manage to afford such privileged luxury?

Re: Early riser or night owl? New study may help to explain the difference

#320

Post by deepaksurti »

dijit wrote: post #39

I've been a night owl my whole life, with the exception of that period during secondary school where I was so depressed in the evenings I went to bed early and as a consequence woke up super early. I have followed every advice, meditation (1yr), excercise (3*1.5hrs per week for 18 months), staving off screens after 18:00 (8mo), no caffiene, no sugar, no food of any kind, I also tried: too much food, cooling my body d…

>> Based on the comments here, I just need to have a kid.

What if you end up making the kid also the night owl :-), and beyond that, I wouldn't want to rely on the most expensive solution!

Post reply on HN