Introverts = Night Owls?

[flow]

I've noticed that my introvertedness seems to go hand in hand with my insomnia. Not that I can't sleep because I'm an introvert, but that I enjoy being up at night more so than during the day. I've found that many of my introverted friends also share this tendency.. and it makes sense. Introverts are more sensitive to noises and activity, and the night is often quieter and more peaceful. We also get more time to ourselves at night, because mostly everyone else is sleeping. I'm most awake/aware around 1-2 am, this much is true. How about you? Are introverts more prone to nocturnal lifestyles?

 

[Da Blob]

Well, I certainly am. I do not know whether it is a product of conditioning or preference though. I have had a lot of Night shift jobs and over the years I just kind of shifted to night - time alertness. I even have exceptional night vision. I prefer going fishing or getting out in the woods at night. I guess it is easier to imagine living in a more interesting world at night...?

It just seems that the people one meets at night are more interesting than day-time drones...(?) However, I do think that there is a very real cause for some of us to desire to be more active or productive at night... Maybe simply because there are less distractions in the environment that can drive a hyper person Nuts...?

 

[Ermine]

Yep. I'm definitely a night owl. The only issue is that I can't do everything I want to at night. It would be inconsiderate to play piano or guitar at night like I'd prefer, I can't take a walk and sing to songs on my MP3 player without disturbing others, too many restrictions. But that aside, night is the best time of day. It's also the only time when I can indulge in anime and other nerdish pursuits.

 

[bananaphallus]

So much of how I act and what I say, during the daytime, is filtered through my own notions as to how other people perceive me, and attempting to meet those expectations, being 'someone else' to preserve my sanity/inner sanctity - feigning aloofness, indifference, emotional and mental vacancy (ostensibly, inside the wheels are-a turnin'), I often feel like I'm running around inside myself, plugging the holes, so as to make sure no one can peer in, and this is pretty draining - especially if I allow myself to really consider what I'm doing, and how in some ways I'm stifling potential relationships/myself...At night, the wee hours of the morning in particular, I feel much more honest, albeit with only myself ("my sentience is peaking!") usually just driving around, listening to music, listening to myself think, verbalizing thoughts, shouting, and so on, it's all a sort of catharsis, very soothing.

 

[Radioactive_Springtime]

I've always been a night owl, I usually do my best thinking and conversing in the wee hours of the morning. I usually don't make it to sleep before 3am.

 

[Dormouse]

Twilight > Night. (No, not the stupid book. Gaaah, curse you for forever ruining a perfectly good word.)

Yeah, I'm crepuscular. The night is for sleeping. The day is also for sleeping. (Or vegetating, if you're forced into school/work.) I'm at my best throughout the morning, and early evening just before sunset. Also at strange hours like 4AM, if I kick my ass out of bed to go starwatching or something.

 

[Jaico]

Nighttime is so much nicer than daytime; I find that the stars and the moon have a very calming effect on not only myself, but the city I live in, too. I think that there's a certain mystique about the night (so long as you're not downtown clubbing, or anything) - it's great to just walk through the inky blackness, with nobody else about. It's like there's an entirely different world during the night; everything feels so different and so new...and you've got it all to yourself. And in the off chance that you're walking with somebody, or you run into a fellow night-walker, there's an immediate bond that you form, based on a mutual appreciation of the night (unless it's a criminal, at which point, that's probably not so fun ).

 

[Kuu]

I only date the night

This is like the 6th or so thread on this topic that I remember seeing here in the forum. Actually I think some were even started by you, flow...

*starts to feel old while looking at the archives*


Like this. Some relatively recent.

 

[flow]

I have not created a thread on the topic myself, but I'm sure i've correlated the ideas somewhere before. As far as I can remember, no such thread has been created.. my apologies if this is not the case. Besides, I'm less bothered by similar/same threads than others. Ideas can and should frequently be explored by members, even if they're precedented.

 

[Kuu]

Yes, I'm not saying it bothers me... not the slightest... I just remembered the fact and felt like saying it. It's always good to get fresh perspectives on an old thought. All the power to dejavu threads!

Poor Ermine. I actually find myself being allowed to be much noisy in general at night. I can play music at full volume and nobody in my house even so much as notices...

 

[Darby]

I have always been a night Owl, but sadly my school requires me to wake up at 6am, so staying up has been....difficult, during the summer however, i enjoyed the closing shift at work, and would get home around 11:30, stay up till 4-ish, and sleep till noon, I loved it

 

[Ermine]

Twilight > Night. (No, not the stupid book. Gaaah, curse you for forever ruining a perfectly good word.)

In book terms, Night > Twilight, hands down. Awesome book.

 

[transformers]

Yeah, I regularly stay up until at least 1-2am, and on my days off all night. It's peaceful at night.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I'm all about the night. I used to be in Ermine's shoes in regards to not being able to do what I want at night but living alone as I do now has changed all that.

Independence>anything

I'm much happier being up at night, unfortunately my sleep schedule is.....well, it's a misnomer to call it a schedule. I woke up just past midnight on Thursday, fell asleep at 8pm, woke up at 4 this morning and will probably be up until 1 or 2 am tonight. If only the day cycle was 30-32 hours instead of 24.

 

[ktp]

I've always stayed up late to enjoy the peace and quietness of the night. There's a very tranquil feeling that I experience just knowing that nobody is doing anything, just sleeping and resting. I find it impossible to be productive during daytime. I've developed terrible insomnia because of this.

 

[Ashenstar]

I am a total night owl.

Unfortunately my frail physical body and poor health prevent me from actually being awake at this time. I have always struggled to be a day walker, and I still feel the call of the night asking me to stay up and explore the shadows.

So I have to fight against my need to be awake during the quiet dark and force myself to sleep at night or else my health suffers tremendously and... it's not worth it to sacrifice my health...... I guess

 

[tashi]

I am a total night owl.

Unfortunately my frail physical body and poor health prevent me from actually being awake at this time. I have always struggled to be a day walker, and I still feel the call of the night asking me to stay up and explore the shadows.

So I have to fight against my need to be awake during the quiet dark and force myself to sleep at night or else my health suffers tremendously and... it's not worth it to sacrifice my health...... I guess

Yup, I'm in a similiar situation. It's a night by night struggle, and just one night of not sleeping, messes up any good nights I might have had before, because then I'll take a nap when I come home from school, which makes sleeping at nighttime just that much more difficult.
I've always had a hard time sleeping. When I was younger, my parents would have to hoard all the flashlights, and turn off the electricty to my bedroom, to ensure that I wasn't reading. Of course then I would just watch movies on my laptop all night =P
I definitely would agree that this has something to do with being an introvert, because even when I was younger, that is exactly why I liked nighttime. It was the only time when everyone else was gone, and I could be all by myself with my books and my thoughts.

 

[Cogwulf]

I love the night but I have to get up early every morning

 

[fullerene]

I looked around for studies done on people who spent a lot of time near computer screens and being up late, because I could have sworn they were done, but couldn't find any.

Something about staring into the light of a computer screen, I've heard, makes your body think it's day for longer than it really is. Sadly I'm sourceless, though.

 

[Cogwulf]

Artificial lighting in general has screwed with our body clocks much more than computer screens ever could do on their own.

 

[Enne]

I don't think Nightowl is I / E. I think it's P / J; time for contemplation vs. time for "getting [conventional] stuff done".

 

[Darby]

I don't think Nightowl is I / E. I think it's P / J; time for contemplation vs. time for "getting [conventional] stuff done".

I think this may be true, because I am a night owl my (internal)clock is wake up at 12-2pm and go to sleep at 3-4am , but my INTJ friend goes to sleep at 9 or 10pm every night, and wakes up at around 6am

 

[Ashenstar]

@Darby- hahahaha this is interesting.
I find that I often try very hard to be INTJ..... and that sleeping schedule is the exact one that I am trying to force myself into.

 

[Darby]

@Darby- hahahaha this is interesting.
I find that I often try very hard to be INTJ..... and that sleeping schedule is the exact one that I am trying to force myself into.

yeah we did the test a few weeks ago, and were both like "oh, we're going to be almost the same" and our teacher had us line up on a scale for each set of letters(I vs.E, S vs. N, etc.) and we were both confused when I got P and he got J, and then she read the descriptions, and at that moment it kind of solidified all the differences between us

 

[flow]

Your teacher read off your MBTI in class? Is this in high school?

 

[Darby]

Your teacher read off your MBTI in class? Is this in high school?

Yes, we all had to go online and take the test, and then after we got our type, we went back to the classroom and stood in a line for how highly rated we were percentage-wise for each letter

 

[Ashenstar]

Yes, we all had to go online and take the test, and then after we got our type, we went back to the classroom and stood in a line for how highly rated we were percentage-wise for each letter

Ummm.... why??

 

[flow]

Haha yeah, that's kind of strange. Not that I'm against it.

 

[Darby]

Ummm.... why??

I believe the idea was so that we would understand other people around us and in our class and get to know each other better. Our teacher also had us do an enneagram(sp?) and some other one where we draw pictures on paper and it's supposed to mean something(I think that one was pretty much total BS)

 

[Ashenstar]

Wow... depending on my energy level my response would have been either

"Um.. no. There is no reason for me to and I don't want to."

or

"ahhh please don't make me "


Then again, I can step back and appreciate what the teacher was most likely trying to do. Still.. if I wish to reveal that sort of thing to someone I wish to do it when I wish to... not because someone is telling me to. *nods decisively*

 

[Darby]

Wow... depending on my energy level my response would have been either

"Um.. no. There is no reason for me to and I don't want to."

or

"ahhh please don't make me "


Then again, I can step back and appreciate what the teacher was most likely trying to do. Still.. if I wish to reveal that sort of thing to someone I wish to do it when I wish to... not because someone is telling me to. *nods decisively*

We didn't pick people out and stick them in corners saying "your an ESFJ!" or anything, and I don't think most of us knew she was going to have us do that, we just thought we were doing some stupid quiz thing in class. it was not meant to be personal, and she made(or tried to make) it very clear that no one type is better than any other (except INTP of course).

 

[Ashenstar]

We didn't pick people out and stick them in corners saying "your an ESFJ!" or anything, and I don't think most of us knew she was going to have us do that, we just thought we were doing some stupid quiz thing in class. it was not meant to be personal, and she made(or tried to make) it very clear that no one type is better than any other (except INTP of course).

Well, that's great of her. I think perhaps you are underestimating my introversion. Seriously.

I had a manager who had us all do this in a training class a few years ago. I thought it was just some silly little quiz with an acronym result. oooh yay.. an acronym. lol

I kept mine secret and just looked at everyone else wide-eyed as they were all discussing how they were E that or J that.. or whatever. I'm pretty sure I was the only INTP. lol

Also, I think your teacher should have put people in corners!

"DIRTY FILTHY FILTHY STINKY ESFJs over there... no... waaaaaay over there!"

 

[Kuu]

the fact that civilization expects us to wake up and do stuff in the mornings and sleep at night is a sort of horrible discrimination that remains, and for many years shall probably continue to remain, unacknowledged.

 

[Nicholas A. A. E.]

Dymaxion sleep, please.

 

[Agent Intellect]

I'm naturally a night owl, although I used to mask that when I used to drink. Now I find myself taking melatonin and Valerian root every night just to try to get to sleep, and it still doesn't work that well. The worst part is, I always get really tired sometime between 11 AM and 3 PM - then I either suffer through it at school/work or waste a lot of my afternoon on the one day off I get every week.

 

[TheHmmmm]

I think this may be true, because I am a night owl my (internal)clock is wake up at 12-2pm and go to sleep at 3-4am , but my INTJ friend goes to sleep at 9 or 10pm every night, and wakes up at around 6am

INTJ's don't do this by choice. We're all night owls as well. We just need our sleep to perform at our best tomorrow. Given the option, we would stay up at night anytime.

So tally me as a night owl.

 

[bluesquid]

the fact that civilization expects us to wake up and do stuff in the mornings and sleep at night is a sort of horrible discrimination that remains, and for many years shall probably continue to remain, unacknowledged.

Lol, people tease me because I sleep late. I always joke that they have farmers hours. Read a study years ago. It stated that their was aprejudice against people that slept late. A vestige of a lifestyle in which everyone was up and working by sunrise. And worked till sunset. Had to work when there was light to ensure survival.

I think we have more direct access to our pineal gland. research it.

We as introverts need time to recharge. And the quiet time is so nice for that.

 

[Kuu]

From waaay in the forum past. In fact that might have been my very first thread here... oh the nostalgia...

And yes, Buckminster Fuller FTW.

 

[Marshmallow Moo]

I find that when given the choice, I usually only get going for the day until the evening. I am just much more alert during the nighttime. I find it peaceful and calming since very few people are about. Sometimes, when its warm enough, I even go on nighttime walks for stargazing and deep thinking. Has anyone here noticed how much sweeter the air is at night? Maybe it's just me or where I live, but nighttime air it rejuvinating. (Above all, though, dusk is the best time of day. It's the colors in the sky that do it for me.)

I do think it has something to do with introvertedness which makes people night owls. Night is a time where introverts can escape the pressures of busy day life. There are few people around to bother them and they can easily slip into mental musings. Extroverts would of course prefer day because its a time of bustle and there are more things to do.

 

[420MuNkEy]

Definitely a Night Owl. Always have been, always will be (that's my assumption at least. I'm not trying to claim that I have the ability to see the future).

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I was recently talking with my dad about this, and he said that I'm more of a night owl than he ever was. I then pointed out that I'm getting old (22), and I don't feel as good pulling all-nighters as I used to. I only pulled six all-nighters in my senior year of college! (My cousin-in-law was listening and was like "hahaha- only six!")

 

[Mints]

I am definetly nocturnal. The peace and comfort you find around 1 am cannot be compared to any other time of the day. I sleep terribly late most of time, around 5-6 am.
However, I have studies to attend. And that is the time I am supposed to wake up, not to sleep, so I have a lot of trouble there (for anybody that has watched death note, you could say that on school days I live like L XD. For those who have not, I live of sugar an caffeine).

On my free days I sleep at that time and wake around 4-6 pm.

 

[chloé]

I'm a "night owl", but I don't think it's my personality, I think it's a genuine health problem. I actually feel my best in the morning after a good sleep, not at night. But I'm up at night.

 

[Luminates]

hmm, this thread seems to be a bit old, and since i'm rather new here I'll bring it back to light

I can agree with everyone here in stating i'm also a night owl. My usual bed time, even for weekdays when i have to wake up at 6 a.m. is around 12-1 a.m. Even with the lack of sleep it doesn't seem to bother me in the day at all. I'm a little more tired and such, but a little "cat nap" will more than fix that problem. During weekends however, it's usually 4 or 5 a.m. when i finally decide to get a few hours in.

 

[Negative Space]

So much of how I act and what I say, during the daytime, is filtered through my own notions as to how other people perceive me, and attempting to meet those expectations, being 'someone else' to preserve my sanity/inner sanctity - feigning aloofness, indifference, emotional and mental vacancy (ostensibly, inside the wheels are-a turnin'), I often feel like I'm running around inside myself, plugging the holes, so as to make sure no one can peer in, and this is pretty draining - especially if I allow myself to really consider what I'm doing, and how in some ways I'm stifling potential relationships/myself...At night, the wee hours of the morning in particular, I feel much more honest, albeit with only myself ("my sentience is peaking!") usually just driving around, listening to music, listening to myself think, verbalizing thoughts, shouting, and so on, it's all a sort of catharsis, very soothing.

Agreed.

I always wondered why I always felt more at peace during the night, you described my sentiments quite well...interesting.

 

[Trebuchet]

I've always been a night-owl. I hate mornings. I don't know that it is a matter of being introverted, though. About half of all people are introverted, right? But the early birds definitely outnumber us.

 

[Luminates]

I've always been a night-owl. I hate mornings. I don't know that it is a matter of being introverted, though. About half of all people are introverted, right? But the early birds definitely outnumber us.

Actually I believe that Extroverts out number us 2/3 which would also explain the difference in what you said, not to sure where that answer came from, but I do remember seeing it somewhere, or someone on this forum could have said so, but without a doubt, there are more extroverts than introverts. I highly doubt its close to being even.

Lol thats an extremely long run-on sentence

 

[Geminii]

My sleep schedule is fairly random. I do like the night for its silence, and for the knowledge that I have uninterrupted thinking time - most places don't expect answers or communication before 9am, and it's nice to be able to spend the calm, cool night working on something and email/upload it at 6 or 8am.

After a long period of being a night owl, however, I start to try and shift to a day schedule for a little while (even just a weekend), just to get some sun and reorient myself with the world. It's nice to occasionally have lunch outside in natural light, and probably good for my health.

Advantages of being up late is that include making it easier to internet-chat with people in the UK and US, and catching up with website news during a time my ISP's outgoing lines won't be jammed with daywalkers.

Disadvantages include being woken up by phone calls from people working 9-5, having very little acceptable time for noisy activities like practising music, listening to loud internet video, or assembling/moving furniture, and the local area having very little in 24-hour shopping apart from fuel stations. (Shopping runs are another reason for periodically flipping over to a day schedule.) It's also inconvenient when people want business meetings during the usual 9-5.

 

[intuitivet]

I need a fair amount of sleep and because of college I have to be up at a certain time every morning. So, because of circumstances, I can't be a night owl. I would prefer to spend the night up and sleep during most of the day (I do need Sun however).

 

[phantome]

I would have to agree with the majority of posters here, i'm certainly a night owl
i fall asleep around 1-2am, and would probably stay up later but I have to get up at 6 for school =/
(only downside to going to bed that late would be the extreme amount of willpower it takes to drag yourself out of bed in the morning ^.^)