Early AM

[Gwendolyn]

So...I am sitting here in my office very crabby about being not only awake, but at work this early. In complaining about having to get up this early two days a week, some people have actually laughed at me (including dh). Just curious, what is "too early" for you? I try to avoid anything that makes me wake up before 8:30-9a on a regular basis. :z

Good morning everyone!!

[Meenah]

On days that I work I am up at 545am and in the hospital by 6:45. On days that I am off I usually sleep to around 9:30 or 10:00.
Luanne

[JaneDoe]

We're early birds too. Weekdays we're up at around 5:30 am and on weekends, we're up usually at 7:00 or 7:30, if we're lucky.

I'm impressed that with a toddler you get to sleep in until 8:30 or so. My dd is like an alarm clock- at 7am, she's up no matter what time she went to bed.

[Vanquisher]

I am also an early bird. In fact, my family was studied for the morning lark gene, and I was one of the participants. Yes, my DNA helped to unlock the secrets the the morning lark gene.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/01/ ... 3649.shtml

I get up really early, and so does my son. My daughter seems to have taken after her dad in this department. Although his alarm goes off at 4, it is really hard for him to get up. My normal body block would have me up at 5:00 and in bed no later than 9:00. I definitely function best in the morning and wane as the day progresses.

[Flynn]

With kids and a surgery DH -- I'm up between 4:45 and 5:30 every day. The kids usually sleep to 7. I get things done and have "alone time." I really like my time with me.

As a result though, I'm rarely up at night past 10.

[Tenacious_D]

How funny that this is a topic. Last night in bed, DH and I were talking about how much sleep we need to function daily and how early we go to bed in comparison to others. I have to be in bed no later than 10:30-11pm. We both need a full 8 hours to do anything the next day. Weekends I can't sleep past 8:30am. I am so envious of our siblings who can sleep until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Even if I go to bed really late i.e. the next morning, I can't sleep past that 8:30am mark.

I usually go to bed around midnight and wake up between 8-8:30a. I definitely need 8 hours of sleep a night to function. DH can get by on only 3 or 4, lucky guy!

[Vishenka69]

I'm so not a morning person and anything before noon is considered morning. If I had a choice I'd work 12-9 instead of 9-6. I often stay later at work because my brain doesn't kick in until after lunch and I get the most work done 4-7pm. I'm just grateful that my boss and my co-workers are sympathetic and don't ask much of me before noon. I miss college largely because I never had a class that started before 10:30. On weekends I can easily sleep until 1-2pm. Everyone knows not to wake me up on a weekend or I'll get cranky and nasty. I constantly feel that I'm not getting enough sleep but I can't go to sleep until 11-11:30.

DH is a morning person. He's up at 6 on weekdays and 8ish on weekends. But he's also in bed by 9-10pm.

[Cumberland]

I am usually up by 745, and really cant sleep past 830. But I hate to get up before 7. My DD wakes up around 730-745-she sings and plays in her crib until I get her around 815 or so.

[Auspicious]

I'm so not a morning person and anything before noon is considered morning. If I had a choice I'd work 12-9 instead of 9-6. I often stay later at work because my brain doesn't kick in until after lunch and I get the most work done 4-7pm.
...
I constantly feel that I'm not getting enough sleep but I can't go to sleep until 11-11:30.

Ditto. And my mom's the same way. My dad talks about her cleaning the house at midnight when they both have to go to work the next morning, and he's like "You're crazy! I'm going to bed!" Lately they've been calling me at 11 pm my time, and I think it's because they know I'm at my most alert and chatty then! I'll always say "You have to call earlier, I can only talk for a few minutes because I have to get to bed" and the next thing I know I've talked to them for an hour. Bad influence.

[DCJenn]

We're Night Owls here, and thankfully Nikolai must have the same genetics. (see, there's a reason why we picked Russia, other than the fact that Rick is Finnish...(aka used to be a part of Russia))

The Dawkter gets up at 5:30 or 6 and is at the hospital by 7 or 7:30. Nikolai and I sleep until about 8 or 8:30. He goes to bed at 8, we go to bed somewhere between 10 and midnight most nights.

Vishenka, I'm with you. My favorite shift that I ever had was 3-11. I got so much accomplished but the problem was trying to deal with companies that aren't on the same schedule! I think now that I'm older, my favorite work hours would be 10-6. Perfect! My brain doesn't really kick in until about 10 am.

Jenn

Not, not, not a morning person. Vishenka's description of a perfect employment is the same as mine. That said, the kids don't really comply. It seems on days that dh has to be up & out VERY early (today he had to be at the hospital @ 7AM - early for a pathologist), the boys will sleep later b/c dad is clunking around before their bodies are ready to wake. They slept until about 8:15 this morning -- HEAVEN! On dh's regular days (leaves the house between 7- 7:30), the kids get up as soon as they hear him.

DH has sleep apnea and never feels totally rested. He would sleep all day if I'd let him. It has been one of the constant arguements of our relationship.

[mommax3]

DH gets up between 5:45 and 6:00, and is out the door a little before 7, sometimes earlier depending on what he has going on. The older two boys' alarms go off at 6:30 and they hit the shower then. Nathan gets up between 6:30 and 7:00.....if he doesn't wake up on his own by 7, I get him up. I get up at 6 on days that I don't exercise and 7 on days that I do, because on exercise days, I don't take a shower before leaving the house, knowing that I am going to be sweating up a storm after I drop the older two off at school. So the fact that I get to sleep a little longer actually makes me look forward to exercising! The four of us are out the door by 8 or so on weekday mornings. On weekends, the boys will usually sleep until about 7 and will watch tv quietly if DH and I aren't up.

If left to myself, I would sleep from 11 to 7 or 12 to 8, and then get up happily and be very productive. As it is now, DH and I *try* to head towards bed around 10, but usually don't actually go to sleep until after 11, and about three nights in a row of 11 to 6 sleep makes for a very grumpy me! DH can get by on 6 or 7 hours a night, and he definitely is an early bird, but I need my sleep.

Sally

[PrincessFiona]

I'm not a morning person either...when I was teaching an 8am lab class for a semester, I was miserable! It was 2 mornings a week. I'd get the kids on the bus at 7am and then head out the door. Thomas stayed with Alex those mornings and there were times when they were both still SLEEPING at 10am when I got back home...

DH considers morning to be anytime after 8.30...and the hospigal basically knows not to page him before this time unless it's an emergency. He's much happier working from 9.30am until about 7pm.

kris

[SueC]

I used to be a morning person, but I think I haven't felt sufficiently rested for years, so I'm not really a morning person or a night owl. I currently get up at 5:30 or 6am, but have only been doing that for 1.5 weeks, so we'll see how long that lasts. If I'm allowed to sleep in, I'd probably get up by 7:30 or 8.