Morning People, Night People, and Dreams
There are hundreds of studies that have been done on people’s sleep patterns—cycles and REM and Deep Sleep, and so on—but I didn’t bother to look any of those up. So there may, or may not, be research out there that will back up what I’m about to write today. I really don’t care. These are my own personal observations and conclusions based on having read some of those studies over the years as well as taking a semester of Psychology in college twenty years ago.
It won’t come as a shock to anyone here when I say I’m a night person. My “natural” sleep pattern is 2 a.m. to between 10 and 11 a.m. I’m most creative between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.—that’s when I can get quite a bit of writing done in a shorter amount of time than it would take any other time of the day. Could be because there are fewer distractions, could be because I’ve tired myself out enough with everything else I’ve done during the day that the left-side of my brain is too exhausted to function anymore, which means the right-side is free to play. Could be because that’s a pattern I’ve developed over twenty or more years of only being able to write at night due to work and school.
Several people I know get up at ungodly hours of the morning to write—3 and 4 a.m. in some cases—and find that’s when they’re most creative or can get the most accomplished. There are nights when I may still be up at that time, but getting up at that time? Fugettaboutit. Not going to happen.
(Hold on, got to go get more coffee.
Ahh . . . that’s better.)
What was I saying? Oh, yeah, sleep.
I wouldn’t call it even an informal survey, but over years and years of talking to people who self-identify as either night or morning people, I’ve drawn a couple of conclusions about the difference in our sleep cycles. And they are:
1. Night People have our deepest sleep toward the end of our sleep cycles—in other words, in the morning instead of right after we go to bed. It’s actually hard work for us to (a) go to bed and (b) fall asleep because our minds are still whirring with everything that’s happened during the day; wondering what’s going to happen next week on our favorite show we watched two or three hours ago; creative ideas—for writing, crafts, cleaning the house, getting organized, etc.; everything we need to do tomorrow; everything we should have done today but didn’t; etc. etc. Some of us have tricks we use to try to make ourselves tired or clear our minds—playing game after game of solitaire on the computer, taking a shower or bath (only stimulates me), reading, listening to an audiobook (this is what I’ve been doing the last few months), listening to soft music (I always have music playing at night—instrumental, from movie soundtracks to classical to light jazz), and so on. And even on those nights when we’re in a sleep deficit from getting less than five or six hours the night before, we still find ourselves staying up “past bedtime,” even though we’re completely knackered. And once we do fall asleep, sometimes it’s hard to stay asleep. Any little noise, anything unusual will pull us right out of that very light sleep we experience first in our sleep cycles. (Which is why it’s so hard for me to sleep well when I’m away from home and why I always travel with Excedrin PM.) But once we do good-and-truly fall asleep, we eventually get to the point at which we experience very deep sleep—usually right about the time that the alarm clock is meant to go off. We’re also usually experiencing our dreams at this point in our cycle—which is why it seems more night people can remember their dreams, vividly. It’s also why we can sleep through our alarm clocks going off—because many times, that sound becomes incorporated into our dreams, or we’re just sleeping too deeply to hear it. It’s also why we’re grumpier in the mornings and it takes us longer to get going. Because we were violently ripped out of our deepest sleep cycles—the cycles which are supposed to be the most refreshing, the most restorative, cycles. And, for those of us who are creative types, if we’re dreaming when we’re yanked out of that deep sleep, we not only don’t want to get up because we’re still tired, but we don’t want to get up because we wanted to see how that dream scenario was going to play out. I can’t tell you how many story idea files I have on the computer based off of dreams like that.
2. Morning People, on the other hand, experience their deepest sleep cycles earlier in the night, making it easier for them to fall asleep—as they’re usually halfway there before they go to bed anyway—and stay asleep during the first half of the night. Their dream cycles usually come during that early, deep sleep, as well. As the night progresses, their sleep cycles get shallower and shallower, making it easy for them to wake up feeling refreshed and renewed—because they’re sleeping very lightly by the time the alarm clock goes off. In other words, they’ve already had their deep, refreshing, restoring sleep several hours ago and the rest is just gravy. And they usually don’t remember their dreams because, again, those cycles happen early in the night instead of right before they wake up.
Again, this isn’t based off of any kind of scientific evidence, just from my own personal experience as a night person and conversations with others. Is that saying that night people have more vivid imaginations because we can actually remember our dreams? No, not at all. I’m just saying that having a vivid imagination makes being a night person that much harder—because it’s really active before I go to bed and then I don’t want to wake up some mornings because I’m really enjoying my dreams.
Which is why it’s 2 p.m. and I’m just now finishing this blog post.
So what are you? A night person or a morning person (or an afternoon person)? Do you remember your dreams?
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KayeDacus.com 
As a fellow night person – I SO agree. As I’m getting older and forcing myself to conform to the 8am – 5pm work grind, its gotten a little bit easier – but not by much. As you said – I so often wake up in the mornings having dreams, etc. I don’t agree about waking up at little noises (though if I’m right at the point that I’ve fallen asleep and a noise goes off – all bets are off for me going back to sleep).
I also apparently have a massive tossing and turning cycle somewhere during the night – where I can literally flip (where my head is at the foot of the bed and my feet at the head of the bed) or even sleep sideways (full size bed) where I’m crossed over the bed. There have even been times when I’ve fallen out of bed and didn’t know it until I woke up the next morning (though this hasn’t happened since I got the full size bed – one of the reasons I’m glad I upgraded) – I’m curious if this also happens to you? Most people I know are very much morning people and they look at me crazy when I tell them this.
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I know that I fell asleep quickly and deeply when I wake up after several hours and am still in the same position I was in when I got in bed. I’m a side sleeper and go from side to side during the night—but that’s usually when my back starts bothering me from being in one position too long.
I am more restless and move around a lot more when I’m having trouble falling asleep.
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I’m mostly a morning person. Everything you say fits me as morning except that I sometimes don’t want to get up because I’m in the middle of a dream. And I usually only remember the bad dreams, but I’m glad to wake up from those (except when it’s still the middle of the night and dark…then I can’t get back to sleep because I don’t want to close my eyes to any evils lurking nearby lol). Even if I wake up in the middle of a good dream, chances are by the time I brush my teeth it’s gone from memory. The only time I don’t have trouble remembering is nap dreams. Those are also the only ones I can sometimes control what I dream about too.
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I find sometimes that I can help myself fall asleep by “guided dreaming”—in other words, I concentrate so hard on the world of one of my stories that I fall asleep “dreaming” of it. It’s almost like purposeful daydreaming, but used to get my mind to shut down/focus on only one thing so that I can fall asleep.
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I am definitely not a morning person. I think I’m more of a mid-afternoon person. I’m sleepy in the morning and sleepy at night.
I remember some of my dreams, but others are just fuzzy.
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You described my sleep cycle accurately. I’m a morning person. But not THAT early of a morning person. I do my best writing/creative work between 8am and noon, but like to be up and ready for the day hours before that. I’m usually half asleep by 8:30pm (it takes 5-10 minutes of reading to finish the job), so late evening activities are sometimes a dread. Keep me out past 9pm and I’m not a happy camper. I’m also well on my way to waking up most mornings before the alarm goes off at 5am (those sleep cycles getting lighter and lighter), and it’s not unusual for me to wake up anywhere from 4:30 on, feeling I’ve had enough sleep. There are occasional variations. Last night I couldn’t fall asleep until nearly 10pm because my mind was still busy editing. I finally got up and took a few notes, which helped quiet things down. And lately I’ve been deeply asleep when the alarm goes off. I’ve also been recovering from pneumonia, and more tired than usual.
I usually remember my dreams, though.
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I used to be a night person and stayed up late writing, finding it hard to get to sleep and then like you said getting my best sleep before I woke up. But I’ve slowly trained myself to be a morning person. Yes, it can happen!!! I try to get to bed around 11am and don’t usually take an hour to find sleep anymore. Maybe because I’m exhausted!!! I set my alarm for 6:15 and I’m pretty good at getting up at the beginning of the week. I love the quiet house, the hot coffee and uninterrupted writing time! My creative juices usually get flowing within 30 minutes.
I used to sleep until 9 and 10 am! I still do that on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, but for the most part I’ve turned into a morning person and liking it!
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I was just going to ask if anyone thought it was possible to change your natural sleep cycles. I’m definitely a night person and always have been, but that whole staying-up-till-two-kids-waking-me-up-at-seven thing really isn’t working for me.
I just remembered—in high school, I attended an early morning religion class and had to get up at 5:30 to do so, with almost 100% attendance, so I suppose I can do it. I just worry about that whole “peak creativity time,” since I have a hard time getting going in the morning.
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All I know is that night people, of which I used to be one, become evening, and eventually day people, as they age. Having children helps too.
I find that I enjoy getting up and out much more than I ever did. My mother always said it was more about habit than natural rhythm. I think she may have been right.
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Actually it is about natural rhythms – studies have shown that teenagers have a later circadia (sp?) rhythym -hence why they want to stay up later at night – and why there have been a lot of pushes to have school start later in the morning.
I’ve actually often wondered if for those of us who are night owls if the change that is supposed to happen in our early 20’s doesn’t.
Oh this article is interesting – http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/caregiving-270879-5.html
I wonder if night owls have more melantonin.
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err… I mean LESS melantonin
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I am an afternoon person. I will get my best work/studying done between the later morning and early evening. I cannot study after nine o’clock, my brain is shutting down at that point. I will still be up to 10-11-12, but not much productive can be done.
I have developed the horrible habit of falling sleep with the TV on. That is how I get my brain to shut down and stop thinking of my day before falling alseep. I have also started sleep with a fan on and half the time it is more for white noise than anything else ( I am sure that is about to change with the warmer weather that this coming). The power went off last night and without my fan going I could hear every little sound, I was not able to fall deeply asleep until after 2am when the power came back on.
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This is fascinating! I am a night person, and this explains a lot. I feel like I get my best sleep in the morning. Sometimes Matthew gets up early to leave for work (6 or so) and I get up with him to make breakfast or whatever then go back to sleep. Sometimes those few hours after that feel like my soundest sleep.
The time as I’m lying in bed waiting to fall asleep is my favorite time of day. “You know the place between awake and asleep? That’s where I’ll always love you, Peter Pan.” (Hook)
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Oh, and I do often remember my dreams. I have crazy dreams.
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I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this topic lately. I am such a night owl and always have been! It’s 11:30 pm and here I am reading this post. My Mom is a night owl. My Dad and brother are early birds.
I usually do my writing at night as that’s when I’m least distracted. I’ll probably be up for another hour – writing. I usually I go to be between 12 and 1, sometimes much later. I don’t have to be to work until 10 am and usually get up about 9:00. On the days I don’t have to work I’ll sleep until noon if I can. That is when I feel the most rested – when I can get at least 10 – 12 hours of sleep. I have chronic fatigue and have to take naps during the day. I think the reason that you mentioned is right on target, that the deep sleep doesn’t come until later on and from that point if I don’t get enough of it I’m not rested. I’ve also wondered about sleep apnea. If the deep sleep is interrupted,maybe the cycle has to start all over again. All I know is that I’m seldom rested and refreshed when I wake up.
I don’t think it’s wrong to be a night owl. It’s just a different cycle. I have tried over and over throughout my life to change my sleep patterns, just the same. The problem seems to be that I require such long periods to be rested and the world starts in the early morning. So unless I went to bed super early, which just is not possible for me, I would not have sufficient sleep to start an early day. If I do have to get up early, I’m usually napping after about 3 or 4 hours. I feel like I’m living half a life sometimes. Very frustrating. Here in Maine most folks go to bed by 9 and are up before sunup. I can harldy fathom that.
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Oh, and yes, I always, always remember my dreams.
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I think you are right on in your blog. I’m totally a night person and everything you wrote describes me. I ALWAYS am dreaming right before I get up, and always remember my dreams very vividly. Even if I go to bed early, I still feel tired when it’s time for me to get up and go to work becasue it took so long for me to actually go into the deep sleep. Right before my alarm goes off is right when I feel like I’ve finally relaxed and entered a deep sleep. So hard for me to get going in the morning!
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