Fighting your natural body clock

[FullLondonEye]

My husband's natural body clock wants him to be asleep by 8pm and up at 4am. His father has always been the same. He doesn't want this because it makes it hard to live a normal life.

My body clock doesn't work that way. I already go to bed and get up earlier than my natural rhythm so we can spend a reasonable amount of time together but fighting these hours is leaving him feeling so tired. I don't feel great for it either.

Has anyone ever found a way to reset their natural body clock? Or how to work against what it wants without feeling awful?

I don’t think that’s the same thing at all. Similar to when you travel to a different time zone.

i think there are a lot of people who force themselves to fit a 9-5 routine for their working lives even if they are naturally extreme larks or owls, but it’s so nice to retire and be able to live life to nature’s routine. Luckily both DH and I are on the night owl end of the spectrum.

@FullLondonEye I wonder if you and your DH may find it easier to sleep separately during the working week so you are getting the best quality sleep you can within the time limits you have and focus on having quality time together over the weekend (as you would if you were shift workers).

Done all that. It's pretty much what we have always done but it still always leaves him fighting against what his body wants to do and feeling rubbish. He can manage to go to bed later but still wakes up too early and over time the deficit catches up with him.

This is what we're trying to avoid. He refuses to live like that but if there really is no way for his body to adjust I don't think there's any other way.