topic Re: Sleep cycle in Wellness

Sleep cycle

Ditzydori — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 18:53:08 GMT

I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.

Re: Sleep cycle

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:14:01 GMT

@Ditzydori wrote:
I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.

I'd show him this and expect it to be the last word on the matter.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201005/why-night-owls-are-more-intelligent-morning-larks

Re: Sleep cycle

NAES1 — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:18:34 GMT

@Ditzydori wrote:
I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.

@Ditzydori,

You had mentioned that both you and husband are retired. What I am reading is that YOU are not on his _ bedtime schedule.... I have absolutely no idea why he would believe or indicate yours is unhealthy?

As long as you have quality, uninterrupted sleep for 7-8 hours, I will challenge your husband how does he come to this conclusion?

If you are having commitments to rise and shine for any early appointments, which it appears you do not, then you have ( possibly ) the same amount OF sleep as he.

My husband and I Are `not on the same sleep pattern`, nor do I want the same; both do quite well with this arrangement. It's a matter of my lifestyle, now verses when both of us were on the same.

He is not retired; I cut mine to late hours.

I thought this was very confusing because of those couples whom I know _____that Do Not go to sleep at the same time.

" I am able to concentrate and do more reading\ research at night than in the afternoon hours".

Interesting question, though. I will say this: It Works For Us!

NAES

Re: Sleep cycle

Evie2004 — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:29:11 GMT

Not sure what your sleep hours are, but my best friend's sleep cycle has just about ended our friendship..we are both retired..& about a year or so ago she discovered the internet & started staying up all night (until 3-5am) then going to bed until 2-3 pm..i never know when to call her, as she is usually "not up yet" if I call around 3pm..she & her husband's meal times are also 2-3 hrs after most normal meal times..they go out to dinner 5-6 times a week around 7pm or later.

she tells me to give her several days notice if I want to go to lunch with her,as she needs to plan getting up "early" ..she has overslept & missed several Dr's appointments recently..she takes Metformin & her Dr just told her that her AiC is 9.1 & she will be insulin-dependent soon if she does not regulate her eating/ sleep schedule, so it sure seems to be affecting her health..talking with her about it only puts her into a snit..so I plan to give up.

Her husband is not happy with her new life schedule..I understand this if you are a single person, but this life style is sure not for me.

Re: Sleep cycle

Nightowlz — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:35:13 GMT

Yes it's true. It's not good for your health. Higher rates of cancer. It's not good for shift workers.

DH used to work nights & we went to bed any where from 2-4 AM & got up noon or so. He now goes to work early so we are sleeping normal hours.

Re: Sleep cycle

Kitlynn — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 19:53:49 GMT

We are all born with a clock. Some of us are night people and some are morning people. I am a night person and always have been. Now that I am retired it doesn't matter I go to bed when I am sleepy and I get up when I am ready. My husband is a morning person and he goes to bed at 8:00 P.M. and gets up at 4:00 A.M. I also have insomnia so now that I am retired it doesn't matter because I sleep when my body is ready to sleep. Last night I didn't go to bed until 3:30 A.M. I slept until 10:00 A.M. this morning. Sometimes I sleep only four or five hours a night and that is enough for me. I think as long as you are getting sleep it doesn't matter when you get it. Being retired makes that a nice perk for us night owls. My doctor says sleep when you are tired and sleepy and don't worry about it. As long as you get sleep that is what matters. Of course it was different when I was working as I needed to sleep. LOL

Re: Sleep cycle

alliswell — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 20:46:05 GMT

@ChynnaBlue wrote:
@Ditzydori wrote:
I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.
I'd show him this and expect it to be the last word on the matter.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201005/why-night-owls-are-more-intelligent-morning-larks

An interesting perspective. And I also agree with @Kitlynn's doctors advice of, sleep when you're tired and don't worry about it.

Re: Sleep cycle

Ditzydori — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 03:31:30 GMT

Thanks for your replies, ladies. A very interesting article. I feel better when I follow my sleep rhythm for when to go to bed. When I have to go to bed early and get up early, it is a conscious effort, but I don't like it one bit.

I know I will probably never be a morning person.

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I guess I'll be sick, poor, and dumb. 😩😩

Re: Sleep cycle

151949 — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:33:08 GMT

My DH goes to bed around 9:30 to 10PM and gets up around 6AM -- I can't sleep that much so I stay up until around midnight and get up around 7:30.We are also retired.

Re: Sleep cycle

hckynut — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 18:47:42 GMT

@Ditzydori

I have never had a "sleep cycle". I have worked every shift in existence, and sometimes you sleep during the day, sometimes in the afternoon or at night when it is dark.

Have never slept longer than 4 hours straight through in my adult life. Wake up, go back to sleep. About 5-6 hours sleep has always when I felt the best, especially during my competitive athletic days.

Retired in 1991 and I sleep when I wish. Still the 5-6 hours is best for me, the time of day/night is a non-factor. Everyone is different for sure. I am a late night guy and an early morning guy. I choose when I sleep and the time makes not 1 iota of a difference in how I feel.

hckynut(john)

Re: Sleep cycle

Imadickens — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 01:33:36 GMT

@Ditzydori wrote:
I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.

I have really bad sleep apnea. One time I was chatting with my sleep doc. I, like you, was always a sleep in late person! I would watch the 11:00 news then go to sleep. If no one bothered me, I could sleep until 2:00 pm! I went to work teaching autistic kids and found that even when I went to bed early so I could still get my 12 hours in I would be asleep on my feet! I once told my doc that and she explained about circadian rhythm . It seems your body has its own set sleep and wake times! Retirement sure helped me that way! Now I am back to what feels good and don't worry about it!😊 I say sleep as you like! You earned it!😘

Re: Sleep cycle

BalletBabe — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 02:10:43 GMT

I have noticed more men are early birds. I am a night person and always have been. I tried being a morning person and it just don't work for me.

Re: Sleep cycle

Ditzydori — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:00:07 GMT

Thanks for the insight!!

Re: Sleep cycle

MomCat — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 23:30:14 GMT

I tried to be a night owl, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the others in my world. Something always happened to wake me up. I switched back to getting up early and I like it better. I also like getting out the door early to garden or run errands. I also notice I'm more able to stick with a healthier eating pattern on this schedule as well.

Re: Sleep cycle

TX-starlight — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:12:03 GMT

Interesting thread!! I have always been a night person. I like to stay up late & sleep late. I can sleep a whole day if no 1 bothers me. My mom just passed away in January, I was caring for her, so now I can get back to MY sleeping habits. Having just gone thru stress of her death, I feel I should sleep/rest when I want. I have friend who thinks it's terrible that I sleep s late. I say, it's my business how i want to spend my time,lol... (It does aggravate me when I waste a nice day, by sleeping. I say do what feels good-especially if you're retired & I am!!

Re: Sleep cycle

hckynut — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 17:58:09 GMT

@Ditzydori wrote:
I was just having this conversation with my husband and he thinks my sleep cycle is very unhealthy. I go to bed late and get up late. He, on the other hand, is an early to bed, early to rise person.
This got me thinking. Any info or opinions on this? We are both retired. Thanks.

@Ditzydori,

Yes, I have an opinion. Some people may be able, or want, to have the same sleep cycle all there lives, others like me? Not so much.

Partly because I spent many of my young years(12-16) working only night shifts. When getting home at 1:00am at 12 years old, and going to school the next morning, is not what most figure is a good sleep cycle.

It was what it was and it was necessary for me to not only be able to pay for all my own necessities, but also able to help my mother raise us 4 kids by herself. Did I like being sleepy most of the time in school? Of course not, but again, it was what it was at that time.

After being discharged from the US Army, I went to work for Western Electric. The next 13+ years found me working both 24 hour night shifts, 4pm to Midnight or Midnight to 8:00am.

Did I like working either night shift while most all my guy and girl friends were working day hours? What young single man would like working 4pm to Midnight, which pretty much eliminated their social life?

Finally got a day shift job, but do you thing I ever, or will ever have "a normal to some, sleep cycle"? Of course not, and I have had 6 Sleep Studies done that pretty much bear that out.

So to me there is no "normal sleep cycle" for those that are really retired, nor those that are no longer on a mandatory "fixed cycle". You can tell your husband for me that his sleep cycle, when it concerns health, is no better or worse than yours.

hckynut(john)

Re: Sleep cycle

qualitygal — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 18:16:59 GMT

You and your husband, are just the opposites of my husband and myself. Sometimes, midway through my night, I can wake up for 2-3 hours and then go back to sleep.

Re: Sleep cycle

qualitygal — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 18:20:24 GMT

@Ditzydori wrote:
Thanks for your replies, ladies. A very interesting article. I feel better when I follow my sleep rhythm for when to go to bed. When I have to go to bed early and get up early, it is a conscious effort, but I don't like it one bit.

I know I will probably never be a morning person.

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I guess I'll be sick, poor, and dumb. 😩😩

bolded and underlined by me.........HUH, not healthy, wealthy or wise. LOL. You're safe!!!!