I'm a night hawk, but I've gotta start going to bed earlier

[CanadianJohn]

I've always liked staying up late, and as a consequence having trouble getting up in the morning. Even as a kid I was reading under the covers with a flashlight, and then a slug in the morning. As an adult, I mostly worked evening or midnight shifts, which worked out fine.

Now, at the age of 78, unfortunately, I am having a health problem directly related to not getting enough sleep. I go to bed at 2.00, and get up at 7.30 ... I'd often like to sleep in, but I hate starting the day late, and the pussycat wants breakfast.

So, I gotta start going to bed earlier. And go to sleep, not just toss and turn. Even going to bed at 2.00, it sometimes takes a while to fall asleep.

I have all the obvious sleep habits... routine, dark room, quiet, etc etc. It's gonna be interesting, trying to change the habit of a lifetime.

Stop driving.

I’m in my 30s and have always been a night owl. For a long time I tried to go to bed a bit earlier so I could get up earlier and not ‘waste the day’, but however good my intentions wild horses can’t drag me out of bed early unless I need to be somewhere.

I have given up and made my peace with it. If you want more sleep, take it from the morning.

None of these things work if you’re not tired. They just make you miserable.

@Givesoner Yes, I think you are right, just get up later in the morning. I've been retired for 21 years (!). My wife used to get up at 7.30, and so I did as well.

@JDM625 Late at night... reading, surfing, Youtube music videos. Nothing important.

For the many who said "just give up driving" ... you don't realise how strong the car culture is in this part of the world. Or at least in this city. Of course, I could get taxis everywhere, but I'm so cheap, I'd be thinking "is it worth $20 to go wander round Wal-Mart" and end up staying home all the time. And of course, it would be a big step down on the road to decline and death.

I'll see how this week goes.

I found "why we sleep" by Matthew Walker to be a really interesting read. I'm sure one of the ways he discusses to try and reset your body clock was to get lots of exposure to early morning light (apparently this sets your body to want to go to sleep earlier), but limit your exposure to afternoon sun (which tells your body to stay up later), so if you do go out in the afternoon, wear a hat and sunglasses.

I've not tried it myself but it's a hopefully easy one to try and incorporate for a couple of weeks to see if it helps. I think he recommended being outside to get the most benefit from the early morning sun.

Not as quick a death as someone you hit with your car when you've nodded off.

you’re an utter arse