The 9-to-5 lifestyle is not only “slightly inconvenience” for us night-owls, but it can also be harmful to our health. Differences between night-owls’ biological clock and social clock - otherwise known as “social jetlag” - greatly diminish our productivity and increase health risks.
As a fellow night-owl - who have survived 7:30 AM high-school classes, 8;30 AM uni classes and internships, as well as 7:00 AM jobs - I have compiled a list of personal “survival” tips that I hope can be helpful for other night-owls, especially during the current situation.
I am not a physician, medical or education expert. These are my own personal experiences, and I would love to hear more from those who have insights into this problem as well!
1. Make sure you still have sufficient sleep
Being a night-owl does not mean you don’t need sleep. Establish a fixed time to go to bed, fixed time to wake up, and try to stick to them. Work your way backward from when your job/classes start to determine when you need to go to sleep. Always make sure you have a proper amount of sleeping time to keep yourself healthy and functional.
2. Plan your days based on the tasks’ complexity
When it comes to daily planning, I always divide my tasks into morning, afternoon, or night tasks, based on how complicated - or mentally demanding - they are. It usually looks like this:
The rule for my planning:
Simple, mindless tasks are done in the morning. This will create a working mindset and momentum for the rest of your day.
Then, the afternoon is where your day will truly begin. This is when the slightly more complicated tasks are tackled, such as lab reports, or reading assignments.
After dinner, the most complicated tasks will be completed at night, when your productivity is at its maximum. The period of time right before bedtime will be used for mostly artsy/ leisure activities- anything light to ease your brain into falling asleep.
3. Set aside 15-30 minutes before bed to free your mind of any thoughts that might prevent you from falling asleep
My mind is super loud at night, especially when I’m trying to go to sleep. All kinds of thoughts would invade my head, from plans, homework problems, to just random brain-vomits. This is why this small period of time is so important. It basically serves as a brain-dump, a place to let you go through all the thoughts you might have so that you won’t be disturbed by them later. It’s also a great time for self-reflection/ journaling as well!
4. If you have early classes, prepare for them in advance
This will reduce the pressure to follow morning lectures when your biological clock hasn’t caught up yet. Preparing for them in advance also makes it so much easier to understand and absorb new information. This is also super helpful for in-class quizzes/ clicker questions that demand you to understand the topic on the spot.
To make early classes even more enjoyable, record the lecture and revisit it later in the day.
5. Give your body time to wake up
Set an alarm for 15 minutes before your planned wake-up time. Don’t worry, you don’t have to wake up just yet. This period of time is for your body to adjust from sleeping/resting state to waking up. And this includes every organ from the brain, liver, to the heart. Jolting awake right as the alarm goes off is risk-inducing to your physical and mental health. Drink a cup of water during these 15 minutes. Go through your phone for a bit. Let your eyes adjust to the sunlight.
6. Make your mornings as enjoyable as possible
Blast music. Have fancy coffee. Open your windows for that ethereal sunrise light and fresh air. Meal-prep your breakfast. Plan your outfits and pack your bags the night before. Schedule to go to classes with your friends. Dance in your bathroom. Find things that can spark joy in you and incorporate them into your mornings - you don’t have to wake up miserable.
7. Take small naps during the day
If you need these power naps, it’s best to keep them short, about 10-20 minutes. Even if you don’t completely fall asleep during the 10 minutes, closing your eyes and letting your body and mind rest for a bit is enough to re-energize yourself. Also, try not to have these naps after 4:00 PM - it will mess up your biological clock. And no caffeine after that as well!
Feel free to add your own tips too! It would be greatly appreciated.
Of course, there is a long road until educational institutions and companies recognize the biological uniqueness of night-owls and make proper changes to provide a healthy, productive schedule for everyone. In the meantime, we can try to make compromises to play to our advantages and make the best out of our abilities.
Good luck to my fellow night-owls out there. I love you all 💕
