When I was young, I never really slept that late. But I knew tons of people who did. Of course I never wanted to really get up for school. But on Saturdays, days it was allowed to sleep late because of no school or anything…I’d always wake up too early. I had friends who’d sleep forever. I’d go stay at my dad’s house and my step sisters and their friends would sleep til lunch on the weekends. I really couldn’t do that…until I got on up in high school.
Then I crafted the ability to sleep til 10 or so. If I really, really tried I could make it to 11. I think this was from years of staying up late. Or maybe puberty had something to do with it.
My first summer after working at Camp Lake Stephens I slept for what my mom said seemed like 14 hours a day. That was an exageration, but it was because of very poor sleep and time management habits the last month of the summer. So I had LOTS of catching up to do. But after that it was still rare for me to ever sleep past 10.
As a single person living on my own, I could get some hours under the cover. But my “going to bed” habits weren’t so good either. I’d go to bed, stare at the ceiling, then get back up and stay way until 2 or so. Then be dead the next morning. Getting married cured this. Went to bed at a decent time, got up at a decent time. But still got to (for me) sleep in on Saturday or days off. But with a child, sleeping late disappeared. I can honestly say that I’ve maybe slept til or past 9am only 2 or 3 times in the last 4 years.
Honestly. But not because I have not wanted to. But my daughter calls for me if it gets past 8am. “Daddy……DAddy…DADDY!…can I get up now? Is it time for breakfast?” Over and over and over. But I don’t mind it.
But lately something weird has been happening. Although I still get up at the same time daily (anywhere from 7 to 8am on average) I’ve been staying up later. Past 1am very regulary. Even close to 2am a few nights a week. Not sure why. I’ll be a little tired the next day. But not zonked. I want to get it back “in line”. But my body either doesn’t need as much sleep now, or it will hit me like a ton of bricks pretty soon.
We’ll see.
