What Happens to You after One Year of Going to Sleep at 4 Am

Or how to become a cranky night owl without a purpose

For the past year, I was doing a little study — or we could say the study was doing me — about being a night owl.

My sleep pattern is usually from 4 pm — 12 pm, so I don’t suffer from a lack of sleep. But after the whole year of this sleeping routine, I definitely suffer from a lack of quality sleep.

The subject of study: Being a night owl Average sleeping hours: 4 pm — 12 pm Time of the study: December 2019 — Ongoing Hypotheses for the study: Does going to sleep and waking up late affect your mind, body, and health?

The sleep pattern before the research: I was never a morning person, but I had different work shifts in the past, so I often started work at 7 am. So I couldn’t be “free” and rebel as now. For the past year, I never needed to wake up early. So I didn’t.

Background of the study: In December 2019, I started working in a hotel as a bar waitress. I came home at 2 in the morning, so I went to sleep late every day. When corona hit as hard in Spain, we have been locked inside from March till July, which didn’t help improve my sleep habits. I went to sleep late and continue with this lifestyle. I shortly returned to work in the summer months, back to my old work schedule. After the season finished and till today, I didn’t change my sleep routine.

I was living like that, month by month, you know how time flies. But a couple of days ago, the reality hit me: it is officially one year since you destroyed your sleep schedule.

I wasn’t even so worried about myself and my health till I didn’t make some holiday video calls to my family and closest friends. They all, one by one, slapped me in the face with the truth.

They asked if I’m working my late night shift again because I look exhausted. When I said no, they were confused.

“Well, then what the hell are you doing?”

If I look extra tired — more than usual — after I’m sleeping 8 hours every night, there is a big problem with my sleep pattern. If I look more tired now than when I slept 5 hours per day while working 50 hours per week in London, we have a serious problem.

So, really, what the hell I’m doing?

In Slovenian, we have a perfect saying: Navade so kot železne srajce. This can be translated as: The habits are like iron shirts. Having habits like iron shirts means we have old and destructive routines that no longer serve us, but we have problems changing them.

I’m caught in the circle of going to sleep late, and obviously, I’m doing nothing to break this circle. I also tried going to sleep early some days, but somehow I destroy everything again in a couple of days. So, pardon me for being an adult who can’t take control of my own sleep routine.

And as I been a night person all my life, I have never been a whole week-month-year night owl. I could also start working on my routine today and improving it. I know that. Stop whining here on Medium!

Before I have a serious conversation with myself, which I’m successfully avoiding for the past year, I can share my story: The confession of a drained night owl.

So what are the side effects of going to sleep late?

MY SKIN & LOOKS

My skin in one sentence? I look more tired now than ever in my life. I look more tired now than when I was working almost every day with 5 hours of sleep. My bags under the eyes are enormous.

I never had big problems with dark circles and bags under my eyes. Sure, I had it, but not too much. I looked like a normal tired adult. Staring at pictures from a year ago made me concerned. I realize I had baby bags under the eyes compared to what I have now — the whole Bags family!

I also developed skin problems (little acne or pimples), which I never had before. As a teenager, I never had pimples, and luckily my skin was, most of the time, clear. In the last past months, it has become awful, dry, with pimples and acne.

*Yes, I’m aware there could be other reasons for having skin problems, like food, lifestyle, and stress. I recently did blood and hormone tests, and I don’t have any vitamin deficiency or other problems. In the past year, I didn’t change anything drastically, besides my awful sleep method, so that’s why there could be a link with going to sleep late is causing skin problems.

Maybe I can’t blame my sleep routine for having skin problems. But I’m sure about that — going to sleep late definitely makes me look tired. In this test year, I managed to go to sleep before 1 pm for some sad couple of nights (great for me). On those days, bags under my eyes and tired look improved in just one day.

PRODUCTIVITY

The year 2020 was not a non-productive year for me, but I can’t manage my time effectively. My main problem is that I have more time now, but I’m less productive.

Lately, my work routine is not strict and planned the way that fits me. Usually, I start writing/working at 1 pm, and I finished late in the night.

I noticed two things: I’m writing slowlier and I’m not concentrated. I’m easily disturbed, and I’m losing my focus fast. I can’t edit late in the night and feel good about it because I don’t trust my editing skills so late.

Compared to my previous routine, I was the most productive from 9 am to 2 pm. When I compare my writing from a year ago, I did more in the same amount of time if I woke up early and write. So definitely — for me — this routine doesn’t work out for being the best writer/human.

MY WEIGHT

I did gain extra weight over this year due to my sleep schedule. First, I ate late in the night, and I have more unhealthy snacks. It is because I usually don’t cook at midnight, but I prepare something fast for myself. I often eat till two hours before sleep. My metabolism is already working slowlier in the night, and I’m feeding myself with extra late snacks. On top of that, I’m sitting and writing most of the time. No surprise I gained weight, right?

MY MIND AND MOTIVATION

The year 2020 was not easy for nobody. When I was evaluating my feelings, I kept that in mind. But besides pandemic, I’m feeling low with energy, motivation and often sad, irritated.

My close friend, who worked four years in the night shift, once told me: “I think I’m getting extremely sad, almost depressed. I’m working at night, and I’m sleeping during days. I don’t feel motivated for anything, and I’m often sad without a real reason. I just feel like what is the point?”

Later, when she started a new job with the morning shifts, her mental health improved, and all those dark thoughts disappeared.

I understand her now. I perfectly understand what she meant by being sad without a real reason.

I need more time and motivation to do the things I did before without problems. I’m feeling like my time is slipping between my fingers. I generally don’t feel motivated for anything because I’m without energy. When I wake up at noon, I already have this awful feeling that I’m missing something. That I already lose too much time.

This is my unintentional study and conclusions after one year of being a night owl. This routine is not right for me. I’m looking exhausted, I gained weight and developed skin problems. I don’t feel like I have control of my time, and I’m struggling to find motivation. I’m easily irritated, sad, and without energy.

I understand that people are different, so what works for me will not work for them and vice versa. Being a night owl is not for everybody, but it can be a better choice and less damaging for some individuals.

Human nature is self-destructive, and we often struggle to listen to ourselves. The body will tell it is the best guide we could use when we are looking for answers.

We have the power to stop and listen, but we are too busy taking care of everything else than ourselves.

The first month of 2021 is finished, and our future remaining unsure. What we can do today is to change and heal the destructive behaviors and routines we developed. We have this power.

My body will tell, and mine keeps screaming at me.