The new 9 to 5

So I’m in grad school. I have a weird schedule because I work part-time during the week and go to class on Saturday. I was going to bed between 10 pm and midnight and waking up anywhere from 6 am to 9 am. I set two alarms to get my going but always woke up sluggish and not quite rested. I was almost always tired in the afternoon and would take a nap if I came home early (which inevitably pushes back when I fall asleep). I was chatting with some of my cohort about sleep, and one guy mentioned that he goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up at 5 am. This sounded completely crazy to me until I tried it. One night, I was super tired, so I tucked in early instead of staying up to watch three more episodes of something on Netflix. I woke up refreshed and wide awake when Mac was getting ready.

I’ve changed my schedule to try this every night. On days where I go to bed on time, I wake up without an alarm, make Mac lunch, and even hit up the 6 am Pure Barre class. Yesterday, I took an accidental nap during my snow day, so I went to bed late. I woke up groggy even though I slept the same amount. It definitely takes some getting used to, but I think this has been a good change for me.

Have you changed your sleep schedule?