Sleeping in…a retirement luxury

[ShokWaveRider]

Not so much sleeping in, but getting up just when you get up is priceless!

 

[Stormy Kromer]

This is probably the best part of ER for me. I wake up with the sun 12 months of the year. I like getting up early but I sleep better knowing I don't have to get up early.

I took a friend to the airport the other day and HAD to get up when I normally do so I set an alarm. I didn't sleep worth a darn.

 

[audreyh1]

And pets!

No pets here!

 

[MuirWannabe]

I used to set the alarm for the latest time possible to still get to work on time. That meant I hit the alarm off and would immediately have to get out of bed and get moving.

Now, no alarm. And I enjoy just laying around in bed for around 15 minutes after waking up. The other day I actually slept till 9:30. That’s not normal, but I was pretty happy about it! If I have a bad nights sleep for some reason, or just get behind, it’s lovely to know I have lots of opportunities to make it up.

 

[W2R]

When I was w*rking, I needed to get to work and be sitting at my desk by 6:00 AM (the earliest allowed) to avoid the worst of the traffic when I could finally head home later in the day. So, I set my alarm for 5:30 AM each morning.

Well, I've been retired for 14 years. This morning I opened one eye and peeked out at the clock, which told me it was 8:51 AM. Such luxury! I got up right away anyway, because my morning insulin injection is at 9 AM. Still, it beats my work schedule.

 

[Cayman]

Freedom to get up when you're ready to.... a great bonus and it doesn't cost a dime.

 

[Chuckanut]

Bob Brinker used to refer to “Retiring to the land of no alarm clocks”. He got that right!

 

[2HOTinPHX]

So weird this thread comes up this AM. I just got woken up by my phone alarm that was set for 830 dentist appointment I had last Monday. Forgot to turn it off. It's only been a few weeks into retirement but not having to wake up in time to get ready to log into the Matrix has been so wonderful!!!!!

 

[Dreamer]

I absolutely love being able to sleep until I wake up naturally.

I am like Stormy Kroner. If I have to set an alarm clock for some reason, I do not sleep well that night.

 

[Milkman]

I think I get up earlier in retirement, most likely because I enjoy my days better. I am usually in bed by 9:30, read myself to sleep and then awake between 4:30 and 5:30. I have a friend who is a CPA. He gets up around 4:30 every morning and says that the next 3 hours are the most productive time of the day.

I have very seldom needed an alarm. In retirement we occasionally set an alarm for various reasons but I am usually up before it goes off. I get up and turn it off so my wife isn't bothered by anything until I get out of the shower.

 

[11522914]

I got up early today as usual, DW slept a little longer. I won’t put 00:00 times to it because this thread isn’t meant as a contest about who gets up earliest/latest/other - I think that’s already been done here anyway.

When I get up varies almost every day, same with DW. I was just reflecting on how nice that simple freedom is — after years of getting up very early, at exactly the same time, every weekday for well over 30 years. I don’t miss that AT ALL. We still set an alarm some days for golf, pickleball or an appointment, but most days not.

I can’t imagine getting up early at the exact same time every day, to an alarm, ever again.

Simple pleasures…

Without a doubt this is one of my favorite pleasures about being retired. My wife and I were just talking about this the other day. I absolutely hate having to set an alarm for anything. I love just getting up when I feel like it.

And going to bed when I feel like it too.

 

[skyking1]

I enjoy getting up with the beast on the weekends, and closing the door to the bedroom and letting DW sleep in. I'm awake, no way to get back to sleep so why not? I release peanut, who runs to go jump in bed to both of the doors. After a bit he gives up and settles down with me.
THE BEAST:

 

[pacergal]

When we first retired, we both slept in until 7-8, sometimes even 9am. Felt like a luxury.
Gradually our bodies have returned to the "work" sleep habit: in bed between 10-11pm, awake between 5-6, with one wake up bathroom call during the night!
DH gets up right away, I tend to rest in bed in the mornings for 30-60 minutes. I am not and never have been a morning person, so lounging for a bit after I wake up is wonderful to me.

 

[GenXguy]

Yes, it’s wonderful not using an alarm.

I have to work at it to get over 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

That NEVER happens for me. Rarely even 7 hours interrupted sleep. Maybe 3 hours at the most of uninterrupted sleep before I wake up again, and often less time than that.

I wish I could sleep in, or just sleep a reasonable amount at all.

I don't sleep well at all, lots of waking, lying awake, can't really sleep in because I won't sleep.

I might average close to 5 hours of broken sleep, and that's with prescription med to get back to sleep for a little while. The experts keep saying you should get a minimum of 7 hours. 7 to 8 hours is best. I've fallen well short of that most days for the last two years.

All the regurgitated sleep hygiene stuff hasn't helped, regular exercise earlier in the day, melatonin does nothing for me, nor do any of the many supplements tried or THC, CBD, OTC sleeping pills, etc.

 

[FedRetired50]

As a natural night owl, this is the first time in my life that I'm getting sleep when I need it (often 2-3 am to 11 am), and in the amount that I need it. Conforming to a "normal" schedule killed me, especially when my alarm used to be set for 4:50 am so I could beat traffic into the office and get the kids from daycare at a decent hour. That would be like a day person getting up at 1 am every day.

Now, like others have mentioned, I'll spend 30-60 minutes slowly waking up in bed, then another few hours completely quiet catching up on news and online discussions. No alarms, no stressful commutes. Trading off 6 more years of salary for this, was well worth it. Happy to be FIREd.

 

[Jerry1]

Unfortunately, I'm on a medication that has to be taken every 12 hours. I was on 8am/8pm but have switched to 9am/9pm. I don't have a problem getting up, but it would be nice sometimes to just roll over and go back to sleep. Thankfully, there are always mid-day naps.

 

[athena53]

For years it was lights out at 10, alarm on weekdays at 6:30 AM. I got used to it, I suppose. Now, as others have noted, it's driven a bit by when the sun rises. I've also kept an eye on my sleep cycles now that I have an Apple Watch and it's interesting to see how REM sleep and deep sleep vary by night- I usually get 1 hour or so of REM and last night was over 2 hours; Deep sleep runs around half an hour but sometimes it's way less. Not much I can control there but I try to average 8 hours of actual sleep time. If I get less for long periods I feel it during my workouts.

Now I feel positively disgruntled if I have to set the alarm more than 1 morning in a single week.

 

[Ronstar]

I get up somewhere between 4 and 5. Go to bed between 8 and 10

 

[Idnar7]

To post #13

try cold brew coffee. No smell or preparation

 

[rodi]

When I retired I still had minor age kids under the roof - and had to get up early to get them out and to school. No biggy, I've always been an early riser/morning person.

Then there's the dog. I like walking him on the beach in the morning - and dogs have to be off the beach by 9am. And traffic in/out of La Jolla gets bad by 7:30am... So I head to the beach by 6:30 most mornings.

I set my alarm... but usually wake up about 10 minutes before it goes off.

I LOVE a good nights sleep - and usually head up to bed to read by 8:30pm-ish... with lights out before 9:30pm.

So.... I don't really sleep in. I set an alarm, but don't really need it. But I really appreciate not having to rush to get stuff done before heading to work.

 

[Lsbcal]

I think I sleep better on vacations.

Lately I've been keeping a sleep log and seem to get about 7 hours sleep on average. It's nice to wake up early and just lie there in the cozy warmth during the winter. Sometimes I drift in-out of short dreams.

We got a new Tempurpedic king bed and it is really great for my back.

 

[Major Tom]

Oddly enough, I use my alarm more often in retirement than I did when working. I used to work a swing shift, and was always awake in time for work without the need for an external reminder. In retirement, I find that I occasionally have to use the alarm to get up in time for a doctor or dentist appointment. I try, as much as possible, to schedule them for late morning or early afternoon though, to minimize the need for that jarring audible intrusion!

 

[GenXguy]

I haven't used an alarm since I retired in June. But, even then, my sleep was so bad, that I was awake before the alarm 90% of the time. And if I hadn't had the alarm, I still probably would have woke up in plenty of time to get to work on time for the other 10% of the time.

 

[38Chevy454]

Used to wake up to alarm at 5:30 when working. When first retired i still was waking up early. But now I find myself becoming more of a night person, and usually go to bed 11:30-midnight. Get up whenever I wake up, usually because need to go to bathroom, 7:30-ish. Sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes bit later. Fortunately our dogs are happy to keep sleeping as long as we are sleeping.

 

[marko]

Been getting up around 4:30 every day since I was about 12 years old. Still do. DW could sleep till noon if I didn't wake her up around 9 or 10.

I LOVE my early morning private time. The house is quiet, I have my first coffee, read three newspapers, surf the web.

Sometimes I do wish I could sleep till 8 or 9 once in a while though but I just can't. Nap at 2pm though.