Let's face it: There are some of us out there that just aren't morning people. Sure, the early bird gets the worm, and if you're the type of person who can get up at six in the morning with a smile on your face and no complaints whatsoever—seriously, kudos to you. But if you're anything like me, you feel the most awake in the hours after midnight and will literally kill anyone who dares to wake you up before 11 a.m. on any day of the week. It's rough out there for a night owl (the world doesn't accommodate our sleeping habits, after all)...but there are just certain aspects about the nocturnal lifestyle that the rest of the world can never understand or relate to. So if you're one of us chronic night owls...this one's for you.
1. The torture of waking up in the morning.
Early morning classes or work shifts are like a death sentence, and there's nothing worse than waking up to the obnoxious sound of your alarm clock ringing incessantly besides your bed. Never mind that you only got 4 hours of sleep last night—you're somehow still expected to get up and function throughout the day (after hitting the snooze button at least 15 times, of course).
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2. Always falling asleep in class.
Dozing off in class is a regular thing for you, especially during long lectures...Your only hope is that you've got a friend in the same class who's willing to give you their notes for all those times you nod off (and for all the times you miss class because you couldn't even manage to get up from your bed, of course).
3. Coffee is your best friend.
You absolutely need your daily cup of coffee to even consider functioning normally in the morning (and gallons more later to keep you awake throughout the entire day too). Caffeine, caffeine, and more caffeine is basically what keeps you sane-—and from looking like a total zombie every morning.
4. Daytime naps are a regular thing.
After having to wake up at an ungodly hour and function on 4 hours of sleep, who can blame you for wanting to collapse onto your bed the very minute you get out of class? And cat naps just won't do—your naps are always at least 3 hours long, and when you wake up you find that the sun is already setting and you've wasted your entire day in bed. Oops.
5. Oversleeping and missing appointments and plans.
You're always the last person there for plans you and your friends make, either because you've just woken up from one of your accidental 1-hour-turned-into-5-hour naps or because the plans were made for way too early in the day (in which case you blame you friends because they should know by now that you just don't do 10 a.m. brunches.)
6. Your most productive work time hours are somewhere between midnight and the crack of dawn.
You're not really sure why, but your brain is the most awake and active during those hours when everyone else is sound asleep. Nighttime is when you have your best ideas and when your productivity level peaks, which is why you're almost always found doing your work at 3 a.m. in the morning instead of in the daytime like any other functional human being.
7. Accidental Netflix binges.
Of course, your times spent staying up are not always so productive, and sometimes you can't help but go on Netflix to watch just that one episode—and then you swear you'll go to bed. But before you know it, the sun's already up and you've just finished an entire season of New Girl. Oops.
8. Midnight snacking.
Let's face it, midnight snacks are a regular thing for you every night—so much so that it's practically become a specialty of yours. Like, what do you mean it's not socially acceptable to eat ramen at three in the morning?
9. Turning off the microwave with one second left so you don’t wake your roommate.
All of us night owls who live with others have faced the struggle of trying to be as quiet as possible when we're trying to get our midnight snacking on. In fact, we've had so much practice that we've basically becomes pros at not waking our roommates up, even when we're making Easy Mac in a loud microwave.
10. Your favorite places are those open 24 hours.
The best thing is when a store can cater to your nighttime cravings at any time during the night—even when it's 4 a.m. in the morning and you're absolutely dying for a foot-long Italian B.M.T. for some reason. (Bless you, 24-hour Subway).
11. Hearing the birds outside your window means that you messed up, big time.
This is usually around 5 or 6 a.m., when it's beginning to get bright outside and the day is just starting for everyone else. At this point you know you've messed up—you're thinking to yourself, "Oh God, have I really been awake all night? Again?!" Well, there's absolutely no turning back now.
12. Weekends are a designated time for marathon sleeping sessions.
With all the sleep you lose over having to wake up early during weekdays, your Saturdays and Sundays are basically the time for you to catch up on all the sleep you've lost. (And you'll basically murder anyone if they wake you up before 2 p.m.)
13. You set at least 10 alarm clocks before going to bed.
One is simply not enough—you need to set multiple alarms, spaced out over 5 to 10 minute intervals, just to be able to get up in time for work or school. It can be tough setting all those alarms, sure, but sometimes you just have to take drastic measures...
14. Going to sleep early is just impossible.
No matter how many times you tell yourself you'll go to bed at a reasonable hour this time, you find yourself wide awake at 3 a.m. having done it again...At this point you should know better, but you know you're doomed to repeat the cycle by the time the next night rolls around.
