For as long as I can remember I have always been a night owl. I LOVE to stay up late. During my slumber party days I was usually the last one to fall asleep. Late in the night was when things got really interesting... playing tricks on those poor souls that fell asleep early, sneaking out of the house and just being silly. In college, I spent countless sleepless nights studying and writing papers. During the wee hours of the night was when I wrote my best papers. The night seem to bring out those creative juices that made the words flow so easily. Late at night is when I've had the most memorable & intimate conversations with friends & loved ones. Those conversations seem to transform a casual relationship into something much deeper taking it to the next level. The darkness brings an openness that isn't available during the day. We feel free to share our most inner thoughts and dreams. The night helps me feel more creative and relaxed. It brings a solitude I crave.
Now that being said I also love to sleep. I don't need a lot really... but if I have a sleepless night or sleep less than 5 hrs. I can become wicked cranky. It's not pretty.
It wasn't until I had Lil' C that I realized how important sleep is. Sure I had heard how sleep deprivation was a common form of torture. The KGB & Japanese often used this tactic in the POW camps in World War II to obtain important information. But until you've actually experienced sleep deprivation night after night do you truly understand how effective this tactic can be. Let me tell you during those first few months of giving birth I would have given away all my secrets for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep! lol!! I can remember S coming home from work one day, grabbing his shirt, and desperately saying, "I need to SLEEP!!" We laugh about it now but it wasn't that funny during those first few months.
Now that Lil' C sleeps through the night I've gone back to my old ways of being a night owl. But lately, I wake up with bags under my eyes or dark circles. Is it just my imagination? or is it a result of getting older or maybe not sleeping a full 8 hrs? So... I'm now trying my best to go to sleep earlier and get more rest. But I'll tell you it's tough for this night owl who misses those solitary, creative late nights.
I love the comparison of parenthood to POW camp. Good analogy.
Posted by: Myrtle Beached Whale | 18 February 2008 at 02:37
I remember nights like that - I'm not sure when my night owl tendency flew the coop and left me striving all night for enough sleep to allow semi-functionality through the day. Nice post!
Posted by: Tumblewords | 18 February 2008 at 06:45
What a comparison!
LOL!
snooze time, baby!
Posted by: gautami tripathy | 18 February 2008 at 13:42
I too used to stay up really late - I wrote my best college papers after Letterman went off every night (and that was when he was on AFTER Carson...)
Wonder if I will ever recapture the flow I felt, hiding in the laundry room so the light wouldn't keep the whole dorm up? :)
And the first few months of not sleeping - argh!!
Great post!
Heather
Posted by: Heather | 18 February 2008 at 16:16
In college, I was never a night person. I was always in bed around 11!
Left to create my own rhythm, I will always gravitate toward going to bed late and sleeping late. But, unfortunately, the morning alarm ensures I seldom get to enjoy that rhythm.
I need a lot of sleep--at least 8 hours--so if I stay up late, I have to be able to sleep the morning away.
Posted by: V-Grrrl | 18 February 2008 at 20:11
Same here! That is, I used to be a night owl. Oh, how I miss those times, late at night, all alone with my thoughts. You've summed it up perfectly here. Thanks for taking me back... ;o)
Posted by: Heather | 18 February 2008 at 20:55