I woke up at 7pm today. Tomorrow I'll probably get up at 9pm. Around this time next week, I'll be waking up at 7am.
This is normal for me. I have a rare-ish circadian rhythm disorder known as #Non24. My sleep cycle doesn't track with the sun. It's not at all rare amongst people who are blind, but it's rare amongst sighted people.
I also suspect it's actually more common than believed & there are people out there reputed to be lazy, immature, or erratic when they just can't sleep normally.
@sysop408 I was just chatting with @OldUncleMike about this! He also has a Non24 circadian rhythm.
I have a delayed sleep syndrome that shifts my circadian cycle back so I normally go to sleep at 2-3am and wake up 9-10am.
But it’s mostly a 24-25 hour cycle that I can keep in check. I just have a hard time syncing with most folks during regular biz hours. I think non24 and delayed/skewed circadian cycles are definitely more common, but as you said, people just get called lazy or whatever…
@Oldandcranky YES. A lot of folks think they have insomnia, when it just a different circadian rhythm.
When I discovered the term "delayed sleep phase syndrome" everything clicked. I had been going through life as if I was permanently jet-lagged.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder
Shifting to a freelance work-at-home lifestyle and allowing myself to sleep my body's natural rhythm was life changing. I was no longer mentally and physically exhausted all the time.
@eatthelove @Oldandcranky @sysop408 @OldUncleMike
DSPS/N24 person here. If anything disrupts my natural sleep pattern (3am to 11am/noon), especially trying to get up early to sync w/ diurnal folks' expectations, it sends my sleep cycle wildly out of control. My sleep cycle tends to creep forward a little on its own, and if I just let myself "free run" it can have me in completely N24 mode. But my body & mind seem happiest and healthiest when I'm sleeping in that 3am to 11am/noon sweet spot.
@eatthelove @Oldandcranky @sysop408 @OldUncleMike
I am also of the opinion that such non-diurnal sleep patterns are more common than most people think. I think having members of one's society with diverse sleep patterns is an evolutionary advantage to keep predators at bay and care for more vulnerable members (young, old, ill). The moralizing about sleep patterns seems like pure idiocy to me, and it sure causes misery for most of the DSPS/N24 people I've encountered.
Sheldon
Irvin Lin
OldandCranky
Madame Ximon