Are you an early bird or a night owl? I’m a bit disappointed to admit that I am neither! Or perhaps I am an average? I’ve often wished that I was an early bird; oh to be able to get up without a fuss when the sun rises in the summer. Okay, so that depends on which part of the globe you live on and which time of year it is, of course, but like at 5 or 6 am. That is always quite a struggle for me. And I also wish I wasn’t so tired in the evenings and could party all night! Our wake and sleep schedule has to do with our internal clock or circadian rhythm. And this is governed by our genes as well as light receptors in our brain. So it’s both our genes and our environment that shape this. In my gene pool I have both bird and owl.
My maternal grandfather was a very early bird; he rarely slept past 5am. And on several occasions when I was visiting these grandparents in Sweden when I was a teenager, I agreed to go fishing with him in the morning. So, morning to him meant before 6, of course. On a few occasions we got out to the boat super early. Of course, in Sweden in the summer, it’s already getting light around 4. I remember hearing Morfar (mother’s father in Swedish) walking around in the summer house, getting things ready. And gliding the boat out onto the flat lake in serene silence. So peaceful. Just Morfar and I. We always came back with a fish or two that Mormor (mother’s mother) would prepare for lunch later.
She was a night owl, on the other hand, my Mormor. She loved sitting up late at night watching TV and would sleep heavily until around 9am. So, when I visited them, I had the best of both schedules available to me. I would gladly sit up at night watching TV with her, while he could not stay awake. And on some days I’d get up incredibly early with him, while the house was quiet -except for her snoring.
I wish you all lots of good quality sleep! Be well, sweet friends and Good Night!