Anyone else here with a "night owl" sleep cycle?

Paul in Idaho · Sep 21, 2018

All my life I have had problems with insomnia at bedtime, and difficulty waking up in the morning. I have been to doctors, used medications and supplements, and built some elaborate alarm clock systems. Nothing works consistently. Getting out of bed is a battle most days. I know about and follow good 'sleep hygiene' but that doesn't help much.

Besides the difficulty getting to school and work on time, you can imagine what that does to my ability to be in a duck blind or on top of a mountain before dawn. I have been late for, and even missed, more morning hunts than I want to think about.

I'm headed to elk camp in the morning, and have been thinking about how to better deal with my sleep problems so as to not miss out on the best hunting times. Do any of you deal with this sort of thing and have suggestions?

Thanks.
Paul

dcopas78 · Sep 21, 2018

I suffer from a different form of insomnia called "3AM" insomnia. I am generally up and at work by 4:00 because I am awake anyways. It really doesn't matter when I go to bed. I can go at 1:30 and I'll still be up an hour or two later. The problem with this type is I'm usually plumb beat by 8 in the evening. My wife gets frustrated sometimes because I have a hard time staying awake to help with the kids bathes and stuff. Insomnia of any form sucks. Good luck with your elk hunt, wish I had some advice to give you to help you get up.

uncle sage · Sep 22, 2018

I too have trouble going to bed at normal hrs and staying there. I'm retired now so i sleep when i want to and do what needs doing when i'm awake. I'm getting my rig ready to go for a 3 week muley hunt coming up with a couple buds, doing most of the work weird hrs and funny how i'll revert back to being up before daybreak during the hunt. Maybe a fishing trip too will get me to sleep "normal", but otherwise i seldom know when i'll get my 6-8 hrs sleep and that seems ok with me. I type this at 2:13 AM.

manitou1 · Sep 22, 2018

I have been a light sleeper since my infantry years, then fire dept. At this stage in our lives, wife gets up at 03:20 and I am supposed to get up at 04:00 for our jobs. We go to bed at 7:30-8 p.m. I usually wake up a couple times, once around 11:30-12:30, then again between 01:30 and 02:20 EVERY MORNING! I am awake after this and never get back to sleep. Sucks big time. I have tried herbs, natural sleep aids and prescriptions. Nothing works. I can get to sleep quickly... I just can't stay asleep. It's a curse.

Gunner46 · Sep 23, 2018

I hear ya. I got fired from my previous job for 'Job Performance'. I was always tired, dragging my ass in half awake & blood shot eyes. Extra coffee just made me a more wired half awake Zombie......Wound up taking a job on the Graveyard shift, because I needed to pay the freakin' bills and it the 1st one I could get while paying 15% more than I was making.

One of my best decisions in many, many years! Sleeping well, eating well, and more mentally focused than I have ever been.

Brauee20 · Sep 23, 2018

This is my boat! I spent 5 years on the railroad. I was on a 2 hour call to work for 24/7/364.5 (12 hours Christmas morning was the only time we shut down). It trashed my sleep schedule. I'm three years off the railroad and sometimes I still wake up in a panic thinking I missed a call for work. I can lay down at 9 and toss and turn until at least midnight. If I get up to piss in the middle of the night it takes me a good hour or so to get back to sleep.

When I was at the railroad I was able to sleep from being exhausted from working 12-14 hours on old junk engines with no A.C. and 110 degree cabin temps. But, there was no schedule and it was always sleep when you could. One January I worked 270 hours. Seemed like everyone at the railroad was hooked on Ambien and had some funny stories from taking it and doing outlandish things that they didn't remember when they woke up. I refuse/d to go down that route and deal with the shitty sleep.

If I get stuck in a particular shitty rut for a few weeks OTC melatonin seems to help me get back to the typical 5 or so hours of sleep a night.

Paul in Idaho · Sep 27, 2018

Thanks for your replies. Sounds like there are all sorts of sleep difficulties causing problems.

I couldn't get myself up the mountain before dawn on my hunt, but still managed to get within 100 yards of 2 mature bulls one afternoon. Maybe next year I'll be able to get within bow range.

Here's a photo from my last day up there. They were living in the steep stuff.

okie_hotrod · Sep 28, 2018

I'm with Brauee, working 4 1/2 years at an on call 24/7/365 took me beyond the point of exhaustion more times than I care to recall. Constantly going from nights to days and vice versa, using stimulants to keep me from falling asleep running a piece of equipment or driving one down the interstate, going 30-40 hours without sleep; it takes its toll.

I'd venture to guess that it's a combination of things rather than a single contributing factor but more often than not it's in your head. Sometimes my mind gets busy or I'm concerned with something and my sleep suffers. Chronic anxiety kills your ability to settle down enough to go to sleep until you're just physically exhausted. One thing that's helped me is trying to eliminate sources of intense stress. I left my old job for one that gives me a set schedule with plenty of time off and better pay, I don't fight with the wife as much because I see her more often, I spend time with my kids, I eat home cooked meals when I'm home and I sleep much better. I still have bouts, like right now actually, but they're fewer than before and don't last as long. Hope that helps

Bluelinebudo · Sep 28, 2018

Exercising myself tires my body and helps a lot. I’m in a job where I see horrible stuff and sleep isn’t consistent to say the least.

ida homer · Sep 28, 2018

No caffeine after noon.

I'm always freaken exhausted in the duck blind or hiking up the mountain before daylight, I usually employ caffeine to get me through the prime time first 2 hours. Then I nap in the blind or on the side of the mountain. I'm a napper, the best sleep I ever get is when it's about 55 degrees and I'm laying on the side of the mountain, when the sun hits me leaned up against some log. An hour of sleep like that and I'm set and fresh for the rest of the day.

isu22andy · Sep 29, 2018

I highly highly recommend listening to this podcast with a sleep doctor and Joe Rogan . This podcast really got me hooked onto listening to podcast and opened my eyes on sleeping . For me what works is no caffeine, no screens phone tv ect before bed atleast 30 minutes. Melatonin when I have that feeling im not gonna sleep. Take a listen if you have a long drive . Very informative . https://player.fm/series/the-joe-rogan-experience-142216/ep-1109-matthew-walker

bigbryce86 · Sep 29, 2018

I've worked nights/graveyards for the better half of 10 years now. Plus I'm a night owl anyways. When hunting season starts, I will just stay up and hit the woods or marsh. Sometimes I'll catch a nap, but I'm used to it now.

fmnjr · Sep 30, 2018

OP: wish I had some concrete suggestions that would work for sure, sorry you're having sleep problems.

Never had insomnia myself but I have had difficulty sleeping at times and what I learned was that hydration was a major issue. If you aren't properly hydrated your sleep may become disrupted.

During my shift work years this was especially important. Worked graves, mid-shifts, swings, days, no days off, steady days off, etc, etc.

If I didn't get enough water, sleep was fitful at best. Diet and exercise were important for me too, but getting enough water was most important.

Working daytime hours for the past 20 yrs or so and now I'm sleeping by 10pm at the very latest and am up by 530am every day no matter what. Sometimes now I wish my sleep was disrupted!

Anyone else here with a "night owl" sleep cycle?

Paul in Idaho

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dcopas78

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uncle sage

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manitou1

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Gunner46

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Brauee20

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Paul in Idaho

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okie_hotrod

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Bluelinebudo

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ida homer

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isu22andy

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bigbryce86

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