I’m a chronic night owl trying to figure out my sleep patterns.
Yesterday, I went to bed late (around 2 AM) and spontaneously woke up at 5:30 AM. I felt awake and refreshed, enough to consider starting my day, but decided I hadn’t slept enough. I forced myself to go back to sleep, and now at almost 9 AM, I’m struggling to get going.
Even though I didn’t get enough sleep overall, I often feel alert and refreshed after about 6 hours. If I get less than that, I experience that strange “emergency mode” alertness. However, if I sleep more, I end up feeling tired and sluggish all day, only starting to feel awake in the late afternoon or evening.
How should I interpret this? I thought feeling refreshed after 6 hours meant I should stick to that amount, but others say being tired after 7-8 hours might indicate sleep debt. I want to find a balance but don’t quite understand what my body is signaling. Any insights are welcome!