What time of day sees you at your best? (spam on subject)

[fable]

The reason for this profound meditation is my wife's inability to get up in the morning and parse a sentence of more than two words. This condition continues for the better part of an hour, with much coffee, or two hours, without. I'm not exactly great myself in the mornings, but I can carry on a reasonable conversation (unless it consists of something like Hillary Clinton or Rainer Maria Rilke) and actually make sense.

This was not always the case. Thirty years ago, I was pretty much where my wife is, today. (Except that I never was a mathhead, and I never looked half that good.) I figure bad living and vicious habits helped me out, and soon the early mornings were just a continuation of the late nights. After that, it all sort of flowed together, like undercooked haggis.

So my question is this: are you a morning person, afternoon, night, or something of each? All answers will, of course, be furnished to the Department of Homeland Security, of which the United States is now a small but proud part.

[Xandax]

I'm seriously a morning person for some reason.

I wake by default 15-30 minutes before my alarm clock - which luckily saves me to listen to that noise.
This means that on most weekdays I'm up at around 5.30 or 6.00.

I've always been a morning person and it does almost not matter which time I turn in. If I turn in really late (in weekends or so), I still wake up around 8 or 9 and then will just go through the days on a few hours of sleep.

[GawainBS]

I'm a morning person as well. I can certainly enjoy sleeping long, and I'm not always as motivated to get out of bed. (If my girlfriend still sleeps, she tends to cuddle up so that I can't move without waking her, so I always keep a good book in armsreach.)
But, overall, I try to get out of bed quite early (not in the least because at about 7h, my dog decides to start a grudge-match with my hair) and Itry to enjoy as much of the day as possible. Even if I don't have a class to attend, I tend to be up and about at 7h30, 8h.

[BlueSky]

Although my work actually requires me to be up and at work early...
I tend to feel more productive in the afternoon and evenings....
I believe this is a lingering effect form years of working the third shift from a previous job.....
Java/coffee is a lifesaver......see my profile...:laugh: :laugh:

[dragon wench]

This was one of those polls where I wasn't entirely sure which to choose.
I ended up selecting "Morning" (caffeine addiction not withstanding ), because that is actually when I am at my most alert, most energetic, and most clear-headed.... well after about half an hour anyway; immediately upon waking I need a cup of coffee or two just to jolt into a state of semi-coherence.
Once I am awake, I'm not necessarily talkative though.. but I am at my best in terms of thought processes.

I'm also pretty good at night, that is often when I am at my most creative or imaginative.

My absolute worst time is the afternoon, between 3 and 5 PM to be exact. I think that is when my body clock turns over or some such. I get really exhausted and lethargic, and if I'm working on something important I need to get a fruit juice, or maybe a green tea, for a boost. (not coffee at this point, at that time of the day caffeine just seems to make you feel more dragged out, I find anyway)

[GawainBS]

That's something I suffer from as well: immediatly after waking up, I'm barely in a cognitive state. No matter what time I get up, I need half an hour to get up and running.

[Ferrick]

Wife = Morning

Me = Night

Children = Night, plus they look like me. My wife feels a bit left out.

[Moonbiter]

My wife has the ability to fall asleep anywhere, and stay asleep for as long as she feels like. She is also hell to deal with the first hour after she gets up. I'm pretty much like Xan in that I wake up 20 minutes before the alarm goes off, and then I hit the ground running. Breakfast for me and Comrade Sprogski, pack him his lunch then run him up to the kindergarten before I head for the office. Since I quit drinking coffee three years ago I'll settle for a pint of strong green tea with lemon (in a glass) and reading the news online for 45 minutes before the first meeting. On the off chance that I absolutely have to have a meeting early in the morning I have no problem dealing with it, but I'm not giving much input. Since I'm the boss, there are serious penalties for booking a meeting before 9 o'clock in the morning... I work best in the hours after lunch, and for a couple of hours right before hitting the sack in the evening.

[galraen]

If you count morning as starting at one minute past midnight, then I'm a morning person.:laugh: Truth is I should have been a vampire, I've always been more mentally at the races once the sun's gone down, which is one of the reasons that when I'm not working I usually operate on Pacific Coast Time. Why that should be I haven't a clue, when I'm on UK time I have no problem firing up in the morning. My flat mate is a Zombie for at least two hours when he gts up, me I can get up and go within minutes, litrally. Basically though, I'm a night owl.

[Xandax]

If you count morning as starting at one minute past midnight, then I'm a morning person.:laugh: Truth is I should have been a vampire, I've always been more mentally at the races once the sun's gone down, which is one of the reasons that when I'm not working I usually operate on Pacific Coast Time. Why that should be I haven't a clue, when I'm on UK time I have no problem firing up in the morning. My flat mate is a Zombie for at least two hours when he gts up, me I can get up and go within minutes, litrally. Basically though, I'm a night owl.

Morning starts at around 6AM - so no vampires. Sorry :laugh:

[Maharlika]

Normally a night person despite a hectic day at work...

... now just for my wife, I'm a morning person.

There are certain things better done in the morning.

[Tricky]

I could tell you which time it is, but I sure ain't giving it to you.

[C Elegans]

I am a night person, but that doesn't mean I have a low wakefulness level when I awake in the morning. That's two different things.

What time of the day you feel most energy and intellectual clarity, is depending on diurnal rythm, which in turn is depending on how long your "inner" biological day is. Few people have 24-hour cycles, most people actually have longer "biological days" (which you can test by keeping people in a lab without windows and artificial daylight 12/12. After less than a week people start to deviate from 24-hours). The longer your diurnal rythm is, the more of a "night person" you are, since you will constantly have a tendency to extend your day.
How long time it takes for you to really "wake up" when you have been sleeping, is depending on how your arousal level system works, and that's a completely different thing.

So for instance, I am a night person in the sense that I have a late diurnal rythm. I feel most intellectually clear during the evening and night. I have a long "biological day", ie I always tend to extent the day and stay up longer and longer. To avoid doing that, I need daylight exposure in the morning, because that alters the cycle.
On the other hand, I awake very quickly from sleep. When I have stopped sleeping, I am fully awake immediately (unless I've only slept for less than 4-5 hours) and intellectually clear. The 3-4 first hours after I have awaken is actually the second best period of the day for me. It's just that I am less efficient over the day if I go up too early, because I tire more quickly and miss the productive night hours. So if I get up 7 am, I may only be able to work efficiently for about 9 hours, then I am spent and will not recover until I have slept. But if I get up 9 am, I can work 15 hours. I need a break during the late afternoon-early evening and then I recover and feel intellectually in shape again between 10 pm - 2-3 am.

[C Elegans]

My wife has the ability to fall asleep anywhere, and stay asleep for as long as she feels like. She is also hell to deal with the first hour after she gets up.

Funny, I am exactly the same. But I am not aggressive when I awake unless I have slept too little (which I often do, though) and is in a real hurry (which I often am).

Does your wife generally sleep very little? I do, and most people I know who are able to fall asleep anywhere for the time they choose, are actually constantly sleep deprived. If you have slept 8 hours during night, you are not supposed to be able to fall asleep during a meeting 3 hours later, unless you have narcolepsy.

[Moonbiter]

Funny, I am exactly the same. But I am not aggressive when I awake unless I have slept too little (which I often do, though) and is in a real hurry (which I often am).

Does your wife generally sleep very little? I do, and most people I know who are able to fall asleep anywhere for the time they choose, are actually constantly sleep deprived. If you have slept 8 hours during night, you are not supposed to be able to fall asleep during a meeting 3 hours later, unless you have narcolepsy.

Wifey suffers from almost permanent jetlag, which goes a long way in explaining her ridiculous sleeping patterns. When she's home she usually insists on getting up before me and the sprog. She'll do shadow-boxing and yoga for an hour, then inhale about a gallon of black coffee, and then she's human again. Interrupt her during these proceedings and she's likely to throw a chair at you. When sprog's away and she can sleep in, she'll stay in bed 'till noon at least.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

I would say I'm a morning person. Though I rarely get up really early as of lately, I do tend to be at my best (socially and productively) when I do. I love seeing the sun rise, hearing the birds chirp, and the otherwise still quietness of the morning when I wake up around 4 to 6 AM.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but I swear nowadays, every time I wake up real early & see the sun rise, I hear that tune from Legend of Zelda: Ocarine of Time playing in my mind when the morning comes around on the Hyrule Field. Ah, how music (even from a video game) affects your life. :laugh:

[Moonbiter]

I would say I'm a morning person. Though I rarely get up really early as of lately, I do tend to be at my best (socially and productively) when I do. I love seeing the sun rise, hearing the birds chirp, and the otherwise still quietness of the morning when I wake up around 4 to 6 AM.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but I swear nowadays, every time I wake up real early & see the sun rise, I hear that tune from Legend of Zelda: Ocarine of Time playing in my mind when the morning comes around on the Hyrule Field. Ah, how music (even from a video game) affects your life. :laugh:

Haven't you quit us? What are you doing here? After the outburst.. (read: i hate everybody, but i'm a gamer so i stink) a year ago, So, why the heck are you here, Galuf? Mercy?

[fable]

He's kidding you, Galuf--notice the grin creeping around his comment.

Moonbiter, my wife also can go to sleep just about anywhere, anytime. I really envy that. Of course, she also needs 8-10 hours a night and 10-12 if she pulls 8 hours several nights in a row. I get by on 6 with ease, less if I need to.

[makaze]

i want it dark.. nightlife lol especially with friends going out into a cafe then play some MMORPG, party on :laugh:

[Monolith]

I'm pretty much a morning person - that is, if I get out of bed before noon.