My job this summer requires me to wake up very early. Like before 7am early. Like by the time I leave my house my parents have only rolled out of bed early (when I leave before before my parents go to work I know it's bad). So naturally this has challenged me to adopt an earlier bedtime than I am used to.
I have never been one for staying up at wild hours. I actually have never successfully pulled an all nighter because every time I tried in middle school I ultimately got too tired and said screw it, I want my pillow. But I did used to stay up until 12am-1am which in the adult working world is pretty late...especially for someone who has to work at 7:30am. At first I thought I was being lame. All my friends and even my younger sister were awake for hours after I turned my phone off and curled up but I came to appreciate my grandma sleep schedule as I now call it.
I like having an earlier sleep schedule for several reasons. One is that it stops me from spiraling into Netflix when really I need to just shut my computer. Knowing that I have to wake up so early helps me not watch 4 more episodes of Madam Secretary. I also like it because even though my night might be shorter, it is all about relaxing. I come home, eat dinner, talk with my mom, watch a couple shows, maybe hang out with my boyfriend or some friends for a little bit but I get to be in bed much sooner after work than before. I can tell myself my bed and sleep is much closer than I think while working because it's true, relatively.
I also like having an earlier bedtime because it allows me to wake up early without feeling like a complete zombie (obviously after coffee of course; I'm not crazy). It makes me feel like I have a much more productive day because I am energized at an early hour. Even on my days off I have found myself waking up early which allows me to catch up on my reading, go to an early workout class, or just watch the news with a cup of coffee. Also, 6:00am workouts are secretly awesome. They wake you up and get you ready for the day plus your daily exercise is done for the day before most people's alarms even go off.
I know that early bedtimes and early wake ups are not for everyone but I think that a lot of people don't give them a chance. Of course having to wake up super early one time is awful because you're not used to it but once you get on a schedule and get into a routine, it feels totally different. I like the feeling of being awake before everyone else and watching the sunrise, being able to hear the birds start to chirp. It's such a still calmness that I feel like a lot of people don't get to appreciate. My grandma sleep schedule is honestly one of the things this summer that has turned out to be great. (My sleep in weekend days are also pretty awesome too though :) )
