It takes the average person 15-20 minutes to fall asleep at night. Right now, you're probably thinking either "That sounds about right" or "Excuse me, what?" This article is for the latter. I'm a diagnosed insomniac, and though I'm lucky that my case is mild and the insomnia comes and goes, I've been in a deep bout of it lately and compiled this list while up one night not sleeping.
1. You didn't realize how weird your sleeping habits were at first.
When I was a kid, I genuinely thought everyone just stayed for a couple hours after their parents put them bed. I realized I had a problem around middle school or high school, but in college I realized even more how different I was when I'd wonder why my friends weren't responding to me around midnight and then it dawned on me that they were actually asleep.
2. You lose track of time really easily.
Every time I do the whole "I'm going to bed by midnight tonight for real!" thing, I don't just miss it because I stay up till 12:30 doing homework-I don't even bother to look at the clock until 1:30 or 2 AM sometimes just because I'm not even tired, so it doesn't even dawn on me to check the time.
3. You're super productive at night.
If I get my homework out at 4 PM, I'm most likely going to stare at it for hours, drag it out for a long time and end up with some poorly done work. But my homework done in the middle of the night gets done swiftly and well. I don't even know why, but around 11 PM-1 AM is my work time and I'm more focused then than any other time.
4. "Going to bed" and "going to sleep" are two very different things.
I'm almost always "in bed" at a reasonable hour, but I never get much sleep. I can read and scroll through social media and play games and watch Netflix for hours in the dark without ever getting tired.
5. Night classes and late practices or rehearsals are no problem for you.
I'm the first to sign up for the dreaded night classes and when rehearsal for the play goes late I seem to be the only one who doesn't mind. Night is when I actually feel like doing things.
6. You've had some awesome 2 AM conversations.
Sometimes it's over text, other times it's when you link up with your fellow insomniac friends after midnight, but people tend to be more honest and open at night and you're always up at the odd hours when friends need to talk, and it's led to some pretty cool conversations.
7. Sleepovers are the worst.
It's all fun and games until you're literally just staring at the ceiling and listening to the silence.
8. So are plane rides.
It takes me a good several hours to relax in my own bed under perfect circumstances, and yet these complete strangers can knock out on my shoulder in a moving aircraft in seconds. HOW.
9. Music is your best friend.
You've spent countless hours just listening to the lyrics, wishing they would lull you to sleep...never works, but you analyze the songs a lot more than most would.
10. You're basically tired all day, every day.
You feel bad for zoning out in class or acting like a zombie while out with friends,but you make up for it with your boundless energy at night.
11. You're an expert at calculating hours and knowing your limits.
You know exactly how little sleep you can function on (not to brag but I can get four hours and feel great) and how much is too much, and you're constantly adding the numbers up in your head, deciding if you really HAVE to be up at 8 or if you can push it to 8:30.
12. You kind of like being this way.
Being tired really sucks, but you spend so much time thinking and creating. Night owls are known to be more creative and have higher IQ's than our early resting counterparts.
