Early To Bed, Early To Rise...
 

I wonder if this is an age thing. I'm in the sack by 10pm, up by 5:30-6am depending on the day. The first 2 hours of the day are dedicated to work-outs, run, bike or gym. Go back 10 years and I'd be sleeping in during the weekends, but not any more. Getting up early is like adding a separate chapter in every day, perfect "flex" time for pretty much anything but making noise in the yard.

I was thinking this is nature's reminder that's time is running down, got to maximize what time you have.

Anyway, informal poll...are you getting up earlier as you age?

From what I hear, your experience is common. And as a lot of people age, they start having problems with insomnia too.

As for me, I've been burning the candle at both ends (up later than I should be and getting up at 4:45 to avoid traffic) for the last 30 years. And on weekends, I'm often up as early or more to make it to a mountain ride. And in those rare instances when I'm not, the cat insists I get up at the same time anyway.

No insomnia here though. I operate under the 45 degree rule. If my upper torso is inclined at 45 degrees or more, it's lights out!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps45f9beae.jpg

I've always been a night person--up 'til midnight or 1am and then sleep until 8 or 9 am.

I have to get up at 3;30am for work Mon.-Fri. and i am starting to get tired of it. I get off at 1:30,but need a little nap when i get home,then i can do whatever.The problem is on the weekends i am up at 4 no later than 5. No biggie but just ready for a change.

I'm up at 5:30 for work and my bedtime gets earlier as I age (67). Over the years it's moved up from 10:30 to 9:00pm. My energy level during the day is still high, but I poop out earlier than I used to. Since my work is partly physical, and I exercise in some way every day, I sleep like a log.

I am up at 4AM, in work by 5. I have always been a morning person. Weekends, I'm up at 5AM generally and grab an early morning ride before anyone else is up. I am usually in bed asleep by 9.

I've always enjoyed the early mornings. For most of my working life, my place of work was at least twenty miles away, so my morning ride would begin sometime between 2:30 AM and 5:00 AM. That is still my favorite time to ride. It's peaceful and traffic is light.

As I've aged, I have found that I have more trouble getting to sleep at night. Some of it may have to do with living in a city that has a lot of loud people out at all hours and some may be due to the fact that I just don't ride as much or as hard as I used to so I'm not as tired at bed time. Whatever the reason, I do enjoy a nap or two each week to "catch up".

In bed 2200-2300, up at 0350 even though there is no need to be at work by 0600. When I get out 0200 to 0300 for longer rides I might make it to bed by 2100. Just don't need the longer hours.

+1

There is something special about being up and active in the wee hours while the rest of the world sleeps.

I usually go to bed at 8:00 pm and get up at 4:00 am

I go to bed by 9 pm and up by 4 am . I have insomnia problem since turned 50 and can not sleep without the aid of sleeping pill .

Normally in bed by 9:00/9:30, up about 4:30, and down at my office before 5:00, (about 120 yards). Try to get 16 to 20 miles in before I return to the office later around 8:00. I just hope and pray that I don't hit a deer or get hit by a deer riding in the dark on these Indiana back roads. Just love daylight savings time!

I fall asleep on the couch, get up, go to bed , try to go back to sleep with little success then get up anyhow.

I have the radio on, to try to mask Tonitis ringing all the time .

Definitely. Not quite 50 yet. I'm 47 and my S.O. is 49. We are up at 5am most weekdays and hit the gym before we go to work.

On weekends I find we no longer stay up until the wee hours and therefore get up much earlier than in the past.

Two weeks ago we went to Punta Cana for a week's vacation and we were in bed by 11-ish each night and up by 7am each morning; on vacation! I never expected that!

I've never been a morning person. Since I retired, my schedule has drifted to hitting the sack at about 2AM, and sleeping until 9 or 10AM. Being over 70 doesn't seem to have altered that. Pretty much the only time I get up early is to get up at 7 or 8AM and go for a ride in the Texas heat.

Had a chuckle with your reply referencing age and vacation........

We just had a quick birthday getaway for my wife. She turned 64 on Friday. Sunday she was up at 0450 to join me on a short 5K walk. I turned 64 in July and on Friday I was up at 0245 then out the door at 0316 for 14 miles jog/walk, on Saturday up at 0245 and out the door at 0325 for a 31 mile bike ride.

During the week I am up at 0350 and wife at 0420 or a late 0520 depending on when she has to be in for work.

You young folk sure do sleep in a lot. :D

LOL. I only clarified my age because the thread was in the "50+" forum and I'm not quite there yet.

I do not consider myself 'old' yet. :)

I've always been an afternoon shift guy....going to bed around 1am getting up around 8 seemed to work well for me. But I get up a 6:30 for work so I always seem to be short sleep during the week...I go to bed around 11:30 but rarely fall asleep quickly. I've never been a morning person and my wife is a real night owl...going to bed at 3-4am is easy for her...getting up at 9 isn't. Our newish dog makes things complex for her as the dog wants to go for a walk by 9 :P

Ditto

Mon.-Fri. wake up at 4:45AM. Mon.-Wed.-Fri. ride to work, ride home, usually in bed by 9:00PM

On Tues./Thur. however, I do the 6:00PM club rides in Irvine, go out to dinner with the riders after the ride, then drive home (almost an hour drive) so on those days I don't get to bed until 10:30 or 11:00PM.

So it varies. After a very hot mountain ride last Sat. I took a nap in the A/C beginning at 4:00PM and didn't get up until 4:30AM. The heat really got to me, plus I had some sleep catch up to do.

Rick / OCRR

As someone who has worked second shift a lot, I'm still trying to get into a daytime routine now that I'm retired. Having acid reflux doesn't help because I have to stay up a few hours after eating supper anymore. Working on the house and yard all this summer just keeps me up pretty late.

Hopefully I'll be on a daytime schedule by next season with the home maintenance largely out of the way. It's going to be mighty hard getting up early for centuries by then if I ain't.

The early riser part I've had down since 1972, up at 4:00 AM most days. Its the late to bed part that suffered as I aged, now its past bedtime at 9:00:01. And, it can come earlier if it has been a hard day. Let the kids and cops keep the late hours, please. Standing the mid-watch isn't my favorite pass time.

Bill

I'm naturally a night person and have trouble getting to bed before 1 am or so. Get up at 7 during the week, but with a bunch of hungry cats used to eating at 7:30, I don't sleep much past 8 on weekends.

Up at 4, into work by 6, off at 2:30, and then either home, or to the gym, or an afternoon ride, followed by dinner, and then bed by 8.

On the weekends I go to bed around 10 and wake up when it gets light.