“You Are Not Lazy If You Are Waking Up At Noon:” Doctor Destigmatizes Waking Up Late

Whoever judged about someone's character, aspirations, even value based on the time he or she wakes up or other ridiculous metrics (like the number of hours spent in the office) simply is a fool. Let people do what works best for them. There is no "normal" behavious as long as what you do is considerate of others.

It sucks that the early birds determine the rhythm of social life in the general society

I had no idea people were hung up on this. The issue isn't your circadian cycle. It's that the world in general expects most people to fit into a 9-5 working box and won't allow flexitime or remote work for people who would be more functional with different working hours.

I am exactly the same - but add in needing 10 hours of sleep every night, and it can be difficult to keep jobs. I've always worked in bars because they are perfect for my sleep schedule. If given a change, I would naturally fall asleep around 2am and wake up around 11. I hate it since it takes up some much of my time, but that is the way I have always been since a kid

As a night owl, I love this guy now lol

Well done, doc! When I worked in a 'normal' job I used to get an average of 3 hours' sleep a night - just couldn't get to sleep early no matter how hard I tried. Not even after using sleeping pills and trying hypnotherapy. Then I got fired and decided to work for myself. Now I sleep when I'm tired, usually around 5am, and get up around 1pm. Regular 8 hours sleep and I've never felt better. Sad that not everyone in my situation is able to change their circumstances and do this.

My Mum still tells me Im lazy for sleeping in! I have three kids with special needs and sometimes Im up half the night with them and yet I am made to feel bad about sleeping in.

Three cheers for Dr. Hassan! For decades I hated getting up before dawn to get ready to go to school / work. I had to retire for health reasons in 2007. Now I go to sleep around 2 or 3 am and get up at 10. Sometimes I have to get up early for appointments, etc. but then I'm operating on sleep deprivation all day. Now I know I have delayed circadian sleep phase! :-)

Test your cortisol with a 24 hr cortisol saliva test. Normal cortisol falls at night so we're tired and ready for bed and gradually rises so we wake up in the morning. If your cortisol cycle is abnormal you'll have high cortisol when it should be low and low levels when it should be high. There are supplements that can help lower cortisol when it should be low and help raise it when it should be higher. It's not just melatonin that can mess with sleep cycle.

Yeah, take THAT ex-partner who belittled me constantly for waking up late. HE would be up at 5.30am all la de dah...then crash mid afternoon and be of no use to anyone. Itried to keep up with him, but ended up having night terrors coz my brain just obviously didn't like it!

I'm a crack-of-noon type. Start work at 2p, work til 2a, rinse repeat. Worked at a start-up && was very productive. If I don't have the option, I can do sleep at 11p, midnight, wake up 7a or 8a, start work at 9a or so. This is after fighting my 10p-6a father during high school. After high school, I worked for him as a programmer and could set my late-night hours.

Thank you. I'm not even that much of a night owl - my preferred wake time is about 10-11am - but the amount of "sleep shaming" I have experienced all my life has been appalling. My little daughter is a morning person, and while I find it personally hard to deal with, I'm so happy that she will not have to be sleep-shamed and sleep-deprived all her life.

I have a delayed circadian sleep phase and I'm the most productive person in my household, and I'm most active in the evening. It's always irritated me that my lazy sister in-law complains about me waking late in the day when her house is constantly a mess. Just because you woke up early, doesn't mean you're a more productive, all around better person than anyone else.

My doc retired and my new doc took me off of my sleeping pills. Now, I stay awake until 7-10 AM and sleep fitfully during the day. About once every 4-5 days I'll sleep for 18-20 hours just to catch up. Sheesh...

THANK YOU, Doctor! I come to life late at night. Working the 9-5 office job was a nightmare - and even more nightmarish were people who would schedule conference calls at 8 am! I quit the office job to become a freelancer 3 years ago and that's the best thing that happened to me. Sometimes I answer early emails not because I'm up early, but because I'm up till dawn :) And I like it. I so wish the shaming of the night owls becomes a thing of the past!!!

I'll chime in with the rest. I spent most of my career sleep-deprived and less productive than I could have been. I would imagine there is so much untapped potential in people like us 'night owls'. Now being retired, I can allow my body to set the rhythm, except when I have to do things on 'Society's Schedule'; e.g., doctor appts, haircuts, shopping, etc... Still learning to forgive myself for being 'different' and to let go of all those negative connotations attached to me for a lifetime. I still have ignorant relatives who consider me 'lazy'. It really is a tough way to live.

True. Still, a good excuse for a lot of undisciplined ,yes, lazy, people not using their energy and the opportunities of the day.