Poll: Did you learn to sleep in after retiring?

[rodi]

I have factors that keep me waking up early
1) teenagers that need to get pushed out the door to school.
2) A dog that needs walking.

BUT - instead of being rushed to get the dog walked and get ready for work... I now drop the kids off (at the bus stop) and then head to the beach with the dog. If I need to walk the dog - why not do it on a beautiful beach as the sun is coming up. I am extra tied to the schedule because now I carpool to the beach with a friend who lives right by the bus stop.... so I can't blow it off...

Biggest difference is that even though I'm still getting up early - I'm not stressed.... I have the beach walk to look forward to every morning.

 

[shortstop14]

Still set an alarm at 7:30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I can get to the gym at a reasonable time - which is usually 9:00, so there's time to read the paper and have breakfast. That's about the same time I got up at the end of my working career, since I was working from home - unless I had an early morning meeting with India or US east coast people.

But the other days I sleep until I wake up, and I rarely get to bed before 1 AM, so rarely up before 9:00. I'm naturally a stay up late and sleep late type, and now I can do whatever I feel like doing.

 

[davebarnes]

Self employed for 20+ years.
Still working in that position.
Get up when I feel like it. I rely on the beautiful trophy wife to feed the cats.

 

[97guns]

I voted no but in actuality I do sleep in, I used to wake up at 3:00 in the morning for work, now I “sleep in” till 5:00

 

[harley]

It's hard to say, as my sleep schedule was eff'ed up for over 20 years. I had a regular 8-5 schedule, but was on call and got called pretty much every night, sometimes multiple times. So I might not go into work until noon after a long night. I voted yes, though, since I now sleep through the night. It took me about two years to learn to do it. I still stay up late (2-4 am), and get up between 8 or 9, just to feed the dogs and let them out. Occasionally I go back to bed for an hour or two. Or maybe a late afternoon nap. I definitely sleep longer hours than I did when I worked.

 

[Cobra9777]

When working, I slept whenever I could... on airplanes, trains, in meetings, airline lounges, at my desk. It was a complete blur with jet lag and conference calls from hotels early in the morning and late into the night. I felt like a tortured time traveler.

After 5 years of ER, I still have somewhat weird hours... usually waking up at 1 or 2am, reading or watching TV for a few hours, then sleep again until 7am or so. So it's a hard question to answer... I certainly sleep better than I did during my work years, but it's not what I would call "learning to sleep-in after retiring."

I just thoroughly enjoy the lack of structure and demands on my time. I go through phases of staying up late and watching dumb movies, and phases of going to sleep at 8pm and firing up the table saw at 4am. Life is good.

 

[Katsmeow]

I sleep much longer. I got up at 11:30 yesterday. I aim to get up around 10:30 but if I don't set an alarm I will get up closer to 11:30.

I go to bed between 2:00 and 3:00 but I have trouble getting to sleep -- lifelong difficulty getting to sleep.

I am far more rested now. When working full time I got up about 8:00 to 8:30. But, even then I went to bed around 2:00 so I was just sleep deprived all the time. Now, it is much better.

 

[Fishingmn]

Still a morning person so I don't sleep in but I am finding 20-30 minute afternoon naps to be very refreshing a couple times/week.

 

[Danmar]

Still a morning person so I don't sleep in but I am finding 20-30 minute afternoon naps to be very refreshing a couple times/week.

Agree I often have a 30-40 minute afternoon nap. Am often a little “tired” after a tough workout and lunch.

 

[davemartin88]

Given its 445 AM and I’m posting, I went with still getting up early. Actually, I find I usually sleep about 6-7 hours so up time varies with start time. Most nights I go to bed early. I wasn’t sure whether to count time spent sleeping in my chair before actual bedtime.

 

[Dd852]

I’ve always been and still am a 4:30 - 21:30 kind of guy. I married a night owl though and I must admit she’s compromised much more than I. ER hasn’t changed the hours.

 

[Germonico]

Always have been an early riser (no need for alarm clock) and that has not changed. The one thing that has changed in retirement is I avoid scheduling any "out of the house" activities before 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. if I can.

 

[flintnational]

I love the mornings. I still get up early without an alarm but it varies from 4:30 to 6:30. On the 4:30 days I usually catch a 15 to 20 minute nap. I sleep 7 to 9 hours. The DW has shifted her schedule. She sleeps to 8:00 most mornings.

 

[athena53]

One of the best things about retirement is rarely having to set the alarm. For years I was up at 6:30 AM Monday-Friday. Typically now I wake up at 7, but it might be 6, it might be 8. Sometimes I wake up even earlier but the wonderful thing is that if I get tired in the middle of the day due to lack of sleep I can take a nap. Life is good.

 

[Car-Guy]

That's an easy one. I always got up about 5am when working (even on the weekends) and switched to about 7am almost immediately once I retired. I still go to bed about the same time so that gives me a coupe of more hours of sleep each night, plus a nap or two during the day if I want.

 

[karen1972]

I think you need a third button.

3. You would love to sleep in but your partner still gets up without an alarm and thus your up against your will.

My honey gets up at 5AM, between him waking the cats up and him getting home STARVING from the gym and thus making ridiculous amounts of noise so I'll get up and make him breakfast.. yeh, if I sleep until 7 I'm lucky.

 

[ncbill]

I think you need a third button.

3. You would love to sleep in but your partner still gets up without an alarm and thus your up against your will.

In this situation, with a spouse who will likely keep working as long as they can since their vocation (teacher) for them is more of a calling than a job.

 

[Ally]

During my whole school and work life, I had to set an alarm and force myself to get up. After I retired, I sleep in till 8:00 or so. I still need an alarm to wake up at 8:00-8:30. If I don't set an alarm, I wake up at 10 or later. I'm not a morning person.

 

[Tallman4123]

I'm up around the same time 6:45 to 7 am, but my alarm clock is now our dog, which we got after I retired. I get up and grab coffee for me and the DW and watch the news and surf online for an hour or so before starting my day. I LOVE my mornings since I FIRE'd!!

 

[T-Minus]

Still a morning person so I don't sleep in but I am finding 20-30 minute afternoon naps to be very refreshing a couple times/week.

While at work, I’d be up about 5AM daily. Now that I’ve retired, the idea that I *can* sleep later is what reduces my stress level - but I’m still up between 5AM and 6AM every day. As Fishingmn said above, the 20-30 minute afternoon nap is a wonderful idea that I’ve adopted.

 

[W2R]

When I was working, I was sitting at my desk at work before 6 AM each morning. I always thought I was a morning person. Surprise! When I retired, I discovered that that was untrue.

I don't have pets or other humans living in my house, so in retirement I get to determine when I sleep.

It's puzzling and I still don't have it figured out. I have to set my alarm in order to maintain any semblance of a regular sleep schedule (which I personally find that I need). Otherwise I start living 25-26 hour days, since I never want to go to bed until I am so exhausted I can't see straight, and I never seem to want to get up, either. And trust me, a 25-26 hour day just does not synch with the rest of the universe.

Lately I have been setting my alarm for 10 AM. I love staying up through the wee hours, but I do miss those early mornings. So, I might move it back to 9 AM at some point. Often I nap for an hour or two in the late afternoon which I find to be unbelievably refreshing and delightful.

 

[Midpack]

I think you need a third button.

3. You would love to sleep in but your partner still gets up without an alarm and thus your up against your will.

My honey gets up at 5AM, between him waking the cats up and him getting home STARVING from the gym and thus making ridiculous amounts of noise so I'll get up and make him breakfast.. yeh, if I sleep until 7 I'm lucky.

Reminds me of an cute adage.

Do you know how to tell who’s in charge in a marriage? If you get up to turn off the lights just before you go to sleep, while standing by the lightswitch, turn and look at who’s in bed - that’s the boss in your marriage.

 

[eyeonFI]

Last 8 years before ER I never had to set an alarm because my young kids never slept past 6am. Just about the time I ER'd they finally started sleeping later (or at least not making waking me up their first act upon rising). But they also got old enough for elementary school, so now I have to set an alarm to get up at 6:45 to get them to school by 7:45.... I look forward to sleeping in some day, maybe when the youngest gets to middle school in 4 years...

 

[DrRoy]

Nope, I'm up at the same time as always.

 

[stepford]

Depends on what you mean by wake up. I frequently wake up at 2-3 AM and read for a while, but almost invariably get back down for a "second sleep" that ends around 6-7. Sure beats waking up for that 4 AM commute.