What hours do you sleep after FIRE?

[W2R]

Do you sleep regular hours now that you are retired, or are you asleep at wildly different and unpredictable times of the day/night?

Do you sleep later in the morning than you had expected?

Do you get up earlier than you expected?

My answers are that I sleep pretty regular hours but I am sleeping a lot later than I expected - - instead of getting up at 6 AM as I had expected, I generally don't get up until 11-12 AM. I blame it on late night TV.

On the other hand, my dear friend F. is likely to be up at any time of the day or night, and hasn't yet settled in to any regular sleeping pattern. He enjoys the freedom of deciding that on a day-by-day basis. So, I would guess that retiree sleeping patterns might be an interesting topic.

 

[REWahoo]

I would guess that retiree sleeping patterns might be an interesting topic.

I'm not sure how interesting the discussion might be, but then I routinely conk out around 11 PM and consider myself fortunate if I don't wake up before the sun comes up.

The fact I was unable to sleep late was a little frustrating when I first retired. I soon learned not to let it bother me as I have the opportunity to take a 'power nap' any time I choose.

 

[W2R]

I'm not sure how interesting the discussion might be, but

Picky, picky!

 

[REWahoo]

Picky, picky!

Hey! With one notable exception, I've always considered sleeping a boring subject...

 

[Dawg52]

Initially a little later. But now that I'm on a schedule again due to my mother being a nursing home, I'm up at 5:45am. Go to sleep rather early as a result.

 

[Alan]

I'm not sure how interesting the discussion might be, but then I routinely conk out around 11 PM and consider myself fortunate if I don't wake up before the sun comes up.

The sun rises before 4:30 where we are at present, but we still manage to sleep 'til 7:15 thru 8:00.

Same back in Texas. We have an alarm set for 7:30 but are usually awake by then, as we go to fitness classes Mon - Frid, and on Saturday I set it for 6:30 as I play tennis with a friend who likes an early start.

Instead of going to bed at 10 (and getting up at 5:30) I go to bed between 11 and 12. I very rarely nap during the day or evening, whereas I used to when I worked.

 

[REWahoo]

I very rarely nap during the day or evening, whereas I used to when I worked.

If I'd napped at work my employers would have given me the opportunity to retire much earlier than I did...

 

[Alan]

I very rarely nap during the day or evening, whereas I used to when I worked.

If I'd napped at work my employers would have given me the opportunity to retire much earlier than I did...

Good point I tried not to nap at work, but often found myself napping in the evenings and at weekends.

We did have a CIO who insisted on having his monthly meetings on a Monday morning in Belgium. At times we'd have vendors in with their Power Point presentations, and having flown overnight from the USA I did nod off on occasion. Very embarrassing.

 

[Purron]

My answers are that I sleep pretty regular hours but I am sleeping a lot later than I expected - - instead of getting up at 6 AM as I had expected, I generally don't get up until 11-12 AM. I blame it on late night TV.

Now that DH has joined me in retirement, we're finally starting to settle into sleep patterns which are more natural for us. Because of the extreme traffic in this area, we both got up at zero dark early during our w*orking days. I was up by 4 or 4:30am and would wake him up at 5:30 on my way out the door. Glad those days are over!

DH is similiar to you. He likes to stay up late and watch TV. I'm more of an early person and get up around 7:30 or 8. I usually wake up because our cat Eddie wants his breakfast. I swear, that cat can wake me up by just staring at me I can feel his gaze and he has this wierd, wide eyed look on his face just like the picture below.

It's actually good for us now we're around each other 24/7. I have a few hours to myself in the morning and DH has his alone time late at night.

 

[73ss454]

I've found that the ideal time to wake up is between 9:30 and 10AM. Exercise and shower and get going about 12noon. At that point I'm tired and relax in my recliner.

 

[Nords]

Do you sleep regular hours now that you are retired, or are you asleep at wildly different and unpredictable times of the day/night?
Do you sleep later in the morning than you had expected?
Do you get up earlier than you expected?
My answers are that I sleep pretty regular hours but I am sleeping a lot later than I expected - - instead of getting up at 6 AM as I had expected, I generally don't get up until 11-12 AM. I blame it on late night TV.

Spouse is an early-to-bed, late-to-rise type. Whenever she's getting into bed, I try to be there for her... so most nights we're in bed by 8-8:30 PM. I don't know how she does it but she's rarely up before 6 AM and usually by 7 AM.

The downside of this is that I cannot sleep for more than six hours unless I've absolutely exhausted myself with taekwondo or some other physical exertion. So most nights I need 20-30 minutes to doze off, then I'm up at the end of the four-hour sleep cycle, and 20-30 minutes I drop off again for a two-hour nap.

On "good" days I'm awake by 3-3:30 AM. On bad days I'm up at 2 AM. But I nap for 30-60 minutes after lunch, and that usually evens things up.

The night after our four days hiking Haleakala Crater we staggered into the hotel room, turned up the heat, took our ibuprofen, and put in earplugs. 11 hours. I haven't slept that long since the last time I'd been up for 36 hours.

I can feel his gaze and his has this wierd, wide eyed look on his face just like the picture below.

He's looking at you in that predator-prey mode and wondering if he should take a bite now, or if he should wait until you serve him his regular breakfast...

 

[ksr]

When I first RE, I thought I'd just stay up as late as I wanted and get up whenever I wanted. As nice as that sounded, I've found that I just feel better when I stick to a sleeping routine. As a result, I find myself generally going to bed around 11pm and getting up around 7am. It's about an hour later on both ends that when I was working.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

I sleep regular hours, but they vary by the season. In the winter I found myself staying up until 12 or 1, sometimes even 2. Then up at around 9.

Now that we're approaching the first day of summer, I'm usually in bed at 10 or 11 and up between 6 and 7. It gets light really early and I love putzing around outside first thing with a cup of coffee.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

In my last three years of w**king, I set the alarm for 4:45AM. Left the house at 5:30 for the 45 min drive (hour in the winter). Always in the office at 6:30 AM. I thought when I retired, that I would be getting up at the same time automatically. Didn't happen. It just somehow morphed into 6:30 AM and I've been getting up about that time every day for 23 years. However, I get to bed about 10-10:30 every night and asleep by 11 at the latest. I've been taking sleep aids for about ten years. Not to get to sleep but to help me get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. Never nap during the day so by 10PM I'm tired. Watch the local news until I doze off. 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Got to have it. Love those sleep aids.

 

[Lakedog]

I am up at daylight everyday for a run with the pup, so the time varies with the season. In the summer that might be before 5:30am, but in winter it might be after 7:00am. My lab, Coal, makes sure I don't over sleep.

Before RE I had to get up around 4:30-5:00 for the daily commute. Thought I might sleep much later after RE but the sunrise routine works very well for me. I usually sleep approx 7 hours each night.

 

[JmfromTx]

To bed about 10, up at 6:30. Same time to bed before fire but an extra 2hrs 15 minutes sleep during the week. I don't hesitate to turn the alarm off and go back to sleep but that only happens once in a while. I get up earlier to play golf or go fishing a couple of times a week too. I had mild panic attacks at first when I would wake up and the sun would be up.

 

[frayne]

In bed by 11 and up by 7, every day.

 

[steelyman]

I am disqualified from this poll since I am not yet retired, but by coincidence I was thinking sometime within the past couple of days of asking how many people continue to use their alarms after RE. I am guessing I probably will, just to keep myself on a routine (plus, my alarm isn't set all that early anyway - 7am).

 

[REWahoo]

...I was thinking sometime within the past couple of days of asking how many people continue to use their alarms after RE. I am guessing I probably will, just to keep myself on a routine (plus, my alarm isn't set all that early anyway - 7am).

Why on earth would you want to take away one of the most enjoyable perks of retirement?

I think I may have been forced to set my alarm once, maybe twice in the six years I've been retired....and I wasn't happy about needing to do it.

 

[ladypatriot]

I'm glad to see there are a few "early birds" like me...I thought I was weird. But I love to get up early, and I'm typically wake by 5:00 a.m. I love the morning, watching the sun rise (well, in the summer, anyway...), hearing the morning birdsong. I take my coffee into the garden and watch as the sun rises over the trees. It's wonderful. I think I was born this way, because I've always loved mornings, even as a child I was awake before everyone else in the house.

In contrast, I become increasing cranky and moody and tired as the evening falls...it's almost as if I can feel my brain slowing down, and it becomes harder for me to think clearly. I'm usually in bed between 9:00 and 9:30, and I sleep through the night, unless I hear one of the kids coming in late. But when I wake up, I'm full of energy.

 

[Purron]

I'm more of an early person and get up around 7:30 or 8. I usually wake up because our cat Eddie wants his breakfast. I swear, that cat can wake me up by just staring at me I can feel his gaze and he has this wierd, wide eyed look on his face just like the picture below.

He's looking at you in that predator-prey mode and wondering if he should take a bite now, or if he should wait until you serve him his regular breakfast...

Nords, I think you must have been a predator in a prior life. Or was that your prior life on a submarine?

 

[steelyman]

Why on earth would you want to take away one of the most enjoyable perks of retirement?

It's not the getting up I mind - it's the going to work, especially when the weather is a trillion degrees below zero and snow is piled several feet high. Mornings are actually pretty nice. Of course, since I am not there yet, I may not have any idea what I'm talking about!

 

[W2R]

I have set my alarm only once or twice in retirement, either because of a doctor's appointment or because we were planning on a road trip and wanted to get started early. Normally I don't set an alarm.

My older brother does, though, because without one he tends to live life on a 25 hour/day schedule - - in other words, he will go to bed (and get up) an hour later each day, unless he sets his alarm.

 

[harley]

I worked very odd hours when employed, being constantly on call and usually interrupted at least twice per night. Seldom got more than 3 hours straight, although I could usually sleep 6-7 hrs in a night. After ER it took me over a year to be able to sleep straight through the night. Now I do, although I still only sleep 6-7 hours/night. Like Nords, my DW sleeps long hours. Unlike him, though, I stay up much later than she does (usually til around 2 AM), and we get up at close to the same time (8 or 9 AM). I've often thought that if I could get in the habit of going to bed before midnight I could lose significant weight, since most of my stupid boredom eating is done late at night when my willpower is low. But if I did that I'd be getting up at 6, which is just crazy. That's closer to bedtime than getting up time.

 

[FreeAtLast]

I am semi retired and prefer getting up and into the office 4 mornings a week. I like having my afternoons free. I still have a son living at home who will be a senior in high school so I think that is part of it.