There’s something magical about the nighttime. I just love it.
Ever since I was young, I’ve been waking out later than my parents, even spending nights over at families I would wake out, even by myself. Something about everyone else asleep while I’m awake makes me feel satisfied and somewhat comforted knowing they’re peaceful and in dreamland.
I’m a night person. Not in the sense that I like to lime (hang-out) out or hit the club as I used to, lime in bars or restaurants, but just the mere fact of being awake at night, past most people’s bedtime, is kinda my thing.
I yearn for calmness and silence and during the day that’s hard to achieve living in my country not locked up in some gated community while still living in an urban area. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t live in rural areas, I’ll die of boredom, I’ve tried it. I need to know there are people nearby and things happening of some sort. Hold the annoyingly loud music or mikes that pass on the road, but give me the good energy of everything else.
My bedtime is usually around 3, 4, even 5 A.M. Yes that’s right, I go to sleep when some wake up, and yes I know I’m very fortunate to live this lifestyle, “life in London” as they say. But that’s not always the case.
There are of course many limitations to this nocturnal lifestyle. For one, you’re not in sync with everyone else, in the sense that you have a small window of time to get errands done for quite a lot of things. Generally, people are winding down their days when you’ve just begun yours, so energies are different. If you’re feeling to eat out for dinner, around 2-3 A.M. almost everywhere is closed aside from street foods, and it just feels unsafe to head out at 2 A.M. to just grab a bite. So you usually have to stock up and know what you’re doing at night in order to function semi-normal. Much less for emergencies.
A major downside is that you can’t contact anyone even if you badly want to, say if you have plans for the next day and responding to texts is kind of inconsiderate since a lot of people leave their phone on loud while asleep. I’m not sure why they do, since they’re not doctors but they do.
The major reason for being nocturnal is that I’m more productive and creative at night I’ve realised. It’s a childhood habit that has become a sort of lifestyle. I don’t always go to sleep so late. Sometimes my cycle changes to where I wake up at 3 A.M. but I’ve realised the “5 A.M. Club” i.e. waking at 5 A.M., usually bears less creative work, for me. For others, it may be the opposite but these are just observations of my lifestyle and may be unique to me alone.
Daytime productivity is distracting for me. There are too many people up and about, messaging, contacting, etc. There’s too much buzz happening for my liking. While I enjoy an urban environment and dislike rural life, I don’t think I’ll remain sane in a city lifestyle either. It may look cool and trendy in shows and movies, but all I see are people becoming more out of touch with humanity. City life is definitely not for me, in-between is.
I love the night, it’s almost mystical and freeing to some extent. I’m more inspired and motivated when the sun goes down and temperatures drop. Maybe it’s the heat during the day, maybe it’s annoyances of phone calls and messages, but daytime life is not always for me.
However, a constant nightlife over a period of months can lead to some sort of depression and a sense of loneliness. Plus there are many health complications, such as an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease apparently, for living a nocturnal lifestyle, so I practice it in moderation and recommend those who empathize with me, do as well.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue with my nocturnal lifestyle forever, however, since humans are inherently diurnal, but if I can some way to function properly this way forever, I might just do it.
Comments