The "why are you still awake?" thread

[Nordic]

As I type this it's 2:21 a.m. I have been going to bed at 3 a.m. for weeks now. I don't know how I slipped into this, but I have.

I think it might be the neurontin I'm taking for my messed up back. It makes me sleepy. Ironically this makes me stay up later. I fight it. Also, I sleep late, so at the end of the day I'm awake later. That and the fact that it gets dark so later now .....

But I thought it might be fun to find out why people are up so late, provided they are.

Although I dunno, I started the "what pharmaceuticals are you taking" and it was kind of a buzz kill, actually. I guess because if you're taking pharmaceuticals it might not be for the happiest of reasons.

But fuck that. I'm on vicodin and neurontin right now. The vicodin keeps me awake, the neurontin can make me sleepy but sometimes doesn't.

And I have to say after 1 a.m. is the only time of day when I have any time to myself. Everybody else is finally asleep. And I do like a certain amount of time to myself. It's precious.

So what's keeping you awake so late?

[82_28]

I'm a night owl. And then I am also not. All of my life I have never had a clear sleeping schedule due to anxiety I've had since I was basically born. I enjoy the solitude, the silence of the night. There is nothing more peaceful than that time of day where nobody kind of exists and it's just you, a cat or two laying around, coming and going and some birds outside that are beginning to peep. I'm up right now because I woke up just a bit ago, like I usually do at that time. And then I check out the websites, have a smoke and then fall back asleep. I really cherish the times I spend with myself, alone, in the dark and with my laptop in front of me -- it is heaven. It's also the time I don't have anything expected of me, nobody to answer to, nothing you can do wrong and basically just be. I love the sun and apparently we're finally about to get sun and heat up here starting tomorrow -- ugh. I just don't want to take my Pacific Northwest layers off! I would like a transition though! Not go from 62 degrees one day and now I've gotta contend with mid 90s. I've been wearing my layers since last September. Gimme semi-darkness and cool temps in the 50s and 60s any day (or night). This week is seriously going to be a challenge to adapt to. However I also hate freezing temps and I hate snow and ice. There's like this 15 to 18 degree span that I am comfortable with. Couple that in with loving the dark and I just like being awake to experience the silence and comfortable air.

Going back to sleep now. . .

[semper occultus]

I've started really finding myself unable to switch-off til 2 to 2:30 in the morning aswell ...to me it seems closely related to the subliminal strobing of the tv / 'puter

I find my circadian urge to sleep over-whelmed by an itch to channel hop or restlessly surf - nothing productive or rewarding

[Nordic]

I've started really finding myself unable to switch-off til 2 to 2:30 in the morning aswell ...to me it seems closely related to the subliminal strobing of the tv / 'puter

I find my circadian urge to sleep over-whelmed by an itch to channel hop or restlessly surf - nothing productive or rewarding

Yeah, it's a weird thing, almost addiction-like, thinking "there's gotta be something cool here somewhere."

Like channel surfing I guess. There's gotta be something good that I'm missing!

Some comedian said that guys have to rule the remote because they don't want to know what is on -- they want to know what ELSE is on.

I love the night, too. One time when I didn't have air conditioning in my pickup, I had to drive from Los Angeles to Austin, in August, with my dog. To keep her from getting completely cooked, I decided to do it at night. So two days before I left I decided to turn around and just stay up all night. I found myself driving around in the city, looking for all-night coffee shops, and finally drove up the coast to Malibu. Found myself at Zuma Beach as the very faintest first light of dawn started. It was enough light to barely see, but everything off toward the ocean was literally two-dimensional. There was no depth perception at all. I could hear the waves and see them crashing, a bit, but couldn't tell at all how far away, or how big they were. The huge expanse of sand was just a solid blur of color. I started walking into this two-dimensional world. It was one of the strangest sensations ever, literally like walking into a 2D painting. I realized I was at the water's edge when I felt the water at my feet. As it got lighter, the depth perception actually started and I watched the dawn slowly dim up over the cloudy beach. It was awesome.

Of course when I finally did the trip and found a motel to sleep in somewhere in New Mexico or West Texas (can't remember where), I told them to not disturb me because I was going to sleep all day. Of course that was the day their gardeners came, leaf blowers and fucking hedge trimmers right outside my door. Ugly.

[NaturalMystik]

Always been a night owl, mornings have always hurt regardless of how much or little sleep I've had. Now that I'm self employed I find that I put off work all day so I can go out and play. Then usually around 11pm to midnight something magical happens and I get a second wind and get all creative and slip into a really good stream. Usually I get down around 4-5am. These days the light is up. I've always found dawn to be an amazing time of day, but far too early... I guess I've found a way to catch it at the other end. No pharmies here, although I'm sure I could probably benefit from a little melatonin to combat the effects of the bright LCD...

[82_28]

That was a beautiful little story, Nordic.

[mentalgongfu2]

why am I still awake?

Had to cook a batch of chicken noodle soup for the soul (also for lunch at work), and watching UFO documentaries on youtube thanks to that damn saucer menace thread. If only there were more boring RI posts, I wouldn't be kept up so late examining the unknown. But, a warm bath has been drawn, and I will soak until the end of "Evidence, the case for NASA UFOs," hoping the volume necessary to hear it in the tub remains low enough not to disturb the neighbors and bring a visit from les gens d'armes.

[nathan28]

Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow?

Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?

During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.

f.lux

F.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer.

Windows & Mac:

http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/

Ubuntu 9.10 & above:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonls/redshift-ppa
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install redshift
redshift

[Sweejak]

Of course when I finally did the trip and found a motel to sleep in somewhere in New Mexico or West Texas (can't remember where), I told them to not disturb me because I was going to sleep all day. Of course that was the day their gardeners came, leaf blowers and fucking hedge trimmers right outside my door. Ugly.

That's a long drive. I did it in 24 hours straight but I tried to sleep outside of Las Cruces. I bet that's where you met your leaf blowers.

I stay up late because I don't have to get up early because I don't have a job.