Are you a lark or an owl?

I’m constantly late, even when I have plenty of time - the problem is that I try to fill that time doing other things to be more efficient e.g. drop kids at school for 8am on a day I don’t work and also have a booked exercise session at 10 am - so I return to the house and potter around sticking the dishwasher on, load the washing machine, hang the previous load out and I lose track of time - it’s suddenly almost 10 am and I’ve not changed into my sports kit so I’m inevitably late getting to the session. Must say I am improving but these simple chores really do expand to fill the available time, and then some.

Same here, though I usually make it just in time, with seconds to spare, though sometimes I get it wrong. A part of that in some situations is I am not good at making small talk with complete strangers if I arrive somewhere early and have to wait. Exception is catching a plane where I’ve learnt that processing delays through security etc can add an unpredictable and large chunk of time to get through.

My dad always set the house clocks 5 to 10 minutes fast, on the basis that that would ensure he would be on time. The trouble was he always then corrected the time in his head when he looked at the clock!

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I used to do that but in general I mainly use gadgets for time keeping now and of course they are ‘connected’ devices and you can’t fool them!

As a teenager it was very easy to lie in on a free day until noon and even 1pm.
They were the carefree days.
I struggle on a free day to stay in bed no later than 8.30. Whether through worries or from aches and pains, it doesn’t appeal so much these days.
Interestingly on those days that I need to get up early for pressing duties, I find I am more reluctant to get out of bed.
Those free days i find I want to get up and about earlier.
Strange.
Guessing most here with a retired lifestyle will want to make the most of their remaining days.

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Lark. Always have been. Go to bed very early and get up before 6am every day although I don’t sleep right through the night. I like to do jobs like gardening with daylighlight so I like the lighter mornings we have now

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BST starting less than two weeks ago brought lighter evenings and darker mornings!

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We have now😂. Getting light at 5.30 in south Uk

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Really interesting thread. I think I am neither. I make sure I get 7-8 hours sleep irrespective of when I go to bed/sleep. At least once a week I will have 9-10 hours sleep, usually on a Friday night when I am permitted to sleep in till 8:30 on Saturday morning (my wife gets Sunday morning; we have a 8 year old).

A couple of other points I noted:

  • @mikehughescq I totally agree with you regarding sleep gadgets. They are notoriously inaccurate yet somehow seem to be a booming industry. I do however require compete darkness so have an eye mask. I also sleep with a fan on and play rain sounds to go to sleep. The darkness and rain sounds just work for me and I sleep very quickly after reading a kindle for 5-15 minutes.
  • several people have highlighted the differing sleeping patterns between themselves and their partners. The answer: separate bedrooms. Trust me, it works and, contrary to what one might assume, actually promotes intimacy.
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Not sure how that can be - intimacy works well when the other person is close proximity with skin-to-skin contact possible without having to get out of bed…

Begs a survey as to who, and whose bed partners, wear clothing in bed…. But I think that would be for another thread!

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Well, bed is for sleeping; intimacy is so much more than just being together in bed.

And there’s the day time :wink:

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Indeed any and all times of day, and any and all places, though some things can be limited by others one shares space with, and life/living’s many demands.

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We often disturb each other with snoring or general shuffling around to get comfortable, conscious or unconscious. It is sometimes refreshing to sleep on one of the old sofas with an armrest at just the right height for my head and long enough for me not to have to scrunch up.

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That sounds less than ideal! But disturbing one’s partner moving in bed suggests an unsuitable mattress. I have a waterbed - whilst it does move, it also cradles gently so movements don’t seem to disturb the other. Snoring, if really loud or erratic, may be another matter, but if bad enough to disturb one’s partner’s sleep, steps to minimise the snoring may be appropriate (and in my view better than segregating at night).

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I am both, probably due to the nature of my work and my lifestyle. I go to bed at 2 am because there is so much fun during the day, especially listening to music and enjoying a few glasses of Scotch at night, and then wake up at 6:15 am in the AM because I work for a Wall Street firm, but I live in San Franciso,

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I was born at 6 p.m. on a Sunday, exactly at sunset, as it happens, which probably explains why I’m an extreme owl.

When we were expecting our first child, lots of wiser-than-thou types were saying “oh, you’ll become an early bird, you’ll see,” but that was only partially true. Yes, I adapted to getting up insanely early with the kids, but I still stayed up until the wee small hours. Thankfully, my self-employment gig permits afternoon naps, thus squaring that circle.

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I forgot to mention, I am also partial to the 20 minute post lunch snooze. It’s glorious.

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That sounds just like a description of ADHD, have you done the online test?

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Never tried a waterbed, seem to recall them often mentioned in 70s sitcoms. I agree I think our mattress is hosed.

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It can be dangerous when you recline in an office chair and fall off!

Really? Hadn’t thought of that. Is there a good online resource or are they all the same tool?

I certainly recognise some personality traits I have (as we all do) and suspect I have a bit of OCD in relation to certain things. Looking at the NHS website there’s a lot of overlap of symptoms with other conditions and many strike me as quite common, but it’s an interesting thought Xanthe.