How old are you and what time do you go to bed?

My dad is a musician and would often do this.

I have my best ideas at 2am!

Biphasic sleep was also common in the Middle Ages. Documents talk about the “second sleep”. It wasn’t unusual to go to bed early then be awake for 2-3 hours then go back to sleep. It was thought that people were more creative between the sleeps.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

Biphasic sleep is very common, particularly in post-menopausal women. Theory is our older female ancestors would have taken over watching babies at night so that the younger mums could sleep.

I suspect most of the early sleepers do have young children. I work part time, then pick up children from school, I eat with them, they go to be at 7pm and I have 2 hours to relax before going to bed at 9.30am. Duee to peri menopause I wake between 4.30 and 5 30am and my youngest is always up before 6am.

I am shocked at so many people having such early nights, how do you get anything done, have hobbies, take kids to hobbies or have any chill time.

I am nearly 45, chilling in bed from about 11, sleep between 12 and 1. Get up 7ish.

My kids are night owls also. I do have friends who have 9/10 hrs sleep a night, I just can't imagine that. For me the winding down/chilling time is the most important thing.

Noticing some of us posters in 60's are having fragmented nights. this has happened to me only in last 6 months and maybe it's an age thing🤔
bed 1.30 sleep for an hour, up raiding fridge and messing about reading till 4 or 5. then sleep until 10 or 11 !

just wondered if the act of making tea actually helps you get back to sleep. suffering with new insomnia here and may try that👍

28. One DC aged 3. Usually in bed around 9.30 but not normally sleeping until 10.30. Up at 5am. I work full time, so does DH and it doesn't feel like we just eat, sleep and tidy 😴 wish there was a bit more to life however, cozzy liv.

@Alina3 When I said getting evening things done I meant like having a social life, pursuing hobbies and seeing friends. It’s totally different if you have tiny kids like you do, but now I’ve got my life back a bit I like using my evenings to go out to gigs, cinema, dinner with friends, the gym, book club etc. I don’t get home from my commute until 7 so if I was asleep before midnight I’d miss out on all my fun stuff!

In bed anywhere between 9 and 10.30 then read for half an hour. Awake early but retired so luxury of returning to bed if I wish, even then up by 8.30-9...

I can drink caffeine after 12 and still sleep at night.

I've got a nearly three month old DS. Put him to bed at around 8 (whether he goes to sleep or not is another matter) and then try and get all the jobs done that I don't get a chance to during the day, so normally go to bed around midnight. I'm a night owl anyway, so going to bed early is impossible for me unless I'm really tired.

60, bed by midnight, sleep by 1 or 2am, awake at 7:30 or 8

Um, 46 & 2am usually asleep by half past. Tried & tried to change it but if it go to sleep at 10 I wake up at 1am. If I go at midnight then I wake at 4.

Once the kids have gone to bed at 10/11 I turn the PS5 on. I'm not actually sure how I function on so little sleep, just always have.

I'm someone that goes to be between 7-9pm, asleep usually for 8-9pm.

What sort of stuff do you mean when you say how do early bedtimers get everything done in the evenings?

I suspect many of us get a lot done in the early morning or throughout the day. Lucky to have quite a flexible job WFH most days so can do bits and bobs on my breaks, but not sure what else would need to be done of an evening. I get up early to make packed lunches, do a big tidy up on a weekend, put a timed wash on to put out before bedtime etc.

I used to be a real night owl, loved staying up past midnight listening to music, playing piano (with headphones!), chatting to friends etc. but with a preschooler it just isn't fair on them for me to be exhausted in a morning dragging myself out of bed and not being my best self for them, so I go to bed early. It feels great waking up naturally at 6am every day having bundles of energy.

68. 11pm read 11.30 sleep. Up at 8am.

Exactly. I am no night owl, as I said earlier my bedtime is around 10.30pm and asleep around 11pm. But to go to bed around 9 would make me feel depressed I think!

I like everything to be done, kids in bed, washed up, house tidied etc by 8.30pm so I can have a couple of hours to relax. Often chatting with DH about our day, or watching something on TV or last night I was researching an evening course I'm interested in starting next year. If I missed out on that time I would feel like I was just working, doing childcare, housework and sleeping with no time to myself. I genuinely think I'd be miserable! No quality time with DH or time to learn something new or watch something interesting or laugh at a funny film.

I really don't believe that anyone needs 9+ hours of sleep every night unless they have a medical condition.

I'd like to know this too, also how do you get everything done that you need to do in the evenings??

60. D s age 19. I go to bed 10am and wake up 6 ish. I like early starts.

Too late! I don't get home from work till 6.30 or 7, by the time I've made dinner, eaten it, washed up, made my lunch for work next day, done any other bits of housework or admin and had a bit of mindless tv time or whatever I don't sleep before 11.30/12.
43, single, no kids.

I’m 70, usually in bed by 8, read for an hour or so and hopefully get 9 hours sleep.
Years of shifts as a nurse wrecked my sleep so I do whatever I like now I’m retired. I’ve never liked staying up late, I rarely watch television and staying up just for the sake of it is ridiculous in my opinion.
I happily get up between 6 and 7, I have plenty to keep me occupied all day, I don’t need the evenings to do adult ‘things’ as sneeringly suggested on here 🙄

I would love to know the trick to sleeping later. I fall asleep straight away at 9.30pm but am wide awake at 4am.

I think getting daylight first thing is meant to be very important to resetting your circadian rhythm and getting to sleep quickly. Also make sure you are not drinking caffeine (including tea) after midday. It has a half life of 6 hours, so if you drink at midday a quarter will still be in your system at midnight.

I go to bed at 9, and it does feel like that. I’d love an extra 60-90 minutes of me time! I suddenly realise how some people are able to fit in study and hobbies alongside children. But I’m already tired all the time as it is. 🤷🏻‍♀️

58yrs old and usually about 1 a.m

But i never get up before 9a.m.

I usually get to sleep between 12 and 1 because I work 9-11pm once kids in bed, also work 8,30-3 while in school and I need to squeeze in the extra hours. Then I read a book or sometimes faff on internet or both then sleep

Wake at 7

Age 48