Night Time Equals Sleep Time?

Craig1981

Craig1981

Craig1981

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Do you think theres still some primative part of our brain that wants us to be asleep when its dark outside?

It might explain why after 4 years on the job, I still cant get used to getting up at 5 in the morning. I swear theres some inner drive screaming "Its night time! GET BACK IN BED!" at me.

Or is that just me?
 
Yup, you have a gland in your brain, so yeah if it's dark you should be asleep. but it can be tricked with artificial light.

I think 5am is too early myself. I hate doing night shifts.
 
Seems to me your all just afraid of the dark...

Actually thinking about it, it is a little eerie walking about at 4:30 with no one about just watching the traffic lights change in each direction with no cars. Well apart from the same fox I see each morning, pretty clever thing, it uses a zebra crossing.

But yes, we are just built this way. Which is why I would never work a nightshift job, getting up at 4 for the past month was bad enough.
 
Of course. We have poor night vision so we would hunt during daylight. Some animals are the other way round, where their night vision is strong so it is an advantage for them to hunt at night (badgers, foxes, owls), but we are not like these animals!
 
You can get those artificial daylight "alarm" lights which gradually ramp up at your designated time to trick your body into waking up more naturally. Never tried them myself but maybe they'll help the OP?
 
Makhaira said:
You can get those artificial daylight "alarm" lights which gradually ramp up at your designated time to trick your body into waking up more naturally. Never tried them myself but maybe they'll help the OP?
Click to expand...

Interesting concept for an alarm, but I dont think I'd trust them to wake me up.

Its not that I'm "suffering" or anything like that. I just wondered if it was something that would eventually become so habitual that I would grow used to it or whether it was something my body would always fight against because it percieved it to be unnatural.
 
Craig1981 said:
Interesting concept for an alarm, but I dont think I'd trust them to wake me up.

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Click to expand...

Lol, they have a normal alarm as well, it just a light slowly gets bright for the ~30mins before the alarm, simulating sunrise.

Most people will always feel odd on night shifts, even when you are used to it, you aren't normal. Long term health issues and the rest.
 
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I work nights but also mornings and afternoons.

Nightshifts can still feel very uncomfortable despite having done them for many years now, the 3-5am chill is the worst part when your body temperature drops and the brain starts demanding sleep, I've experienced nausea, cold sweats and hallucinations during those hours, can't be good for long term health.:eek: Despite all that though I love working nights, no-one around so it's a great time to reflect and think things over.

Getting up at 5am certainly isn't pleasant, especially during the winter but by 5am the body should have come out of it's deepest sleep phase so it shouldn't feel too horrific, try getting up at 3-4 am, Farmers, Milkmen, Lorry drivers etc, I'd bet that would really hurt.
 
You don't use it on your own, they're meant to be used so that for the preceeding "x" amount of time it ramps up, and then when it's at daylight levels, your alarm goes off as per normal. The idea being that your body has gone through the natural wakeup process that goes with a sunrise.
 
12 hour night shifts are so annoying, It's weird getting in a 6am, sleeping till 12 then going to work for 6pm again.

I prefer days shifts, although getting up early is so annoying, I appreciate an 8am lay in on my days off.

When I was unemployed before July last year, I used to sleep in till 10am, stay up till 3am, now that was the life, except for the lack of money, motivation and self-worth lol
 
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