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Mourning Person

I would like to preface this by saying that despite the fact that I have been described as bitchy in the morning, there are plenty of times that I set my alarm and get out of bed at an ungodly hour and function.  I may not do it nicely, but I function.  For the most part.  As long as not too much is expected of me.

If I could, I would shift the world to start a little later.  People would get up around 10ish.  We’d have breakfast and head off to work or school around 11 am.  We’d get home, of course, a little later, which wouldn’t matter because we’d be up until 2 or 3 am.

I do my best work late at night.  In graduate school, I wouldn’t even begin writing until 9 or 10 pm, and then I would stay up through the night working and sleep when it started to get light out.  I liked being awake while the rest of the world was asleep.  I’m aware that if we shifted the whole world timewise, that people would be awake at the same time as me.  But I rarely work through the night now.  My request to shift the world is more a desire to not have to wake up so early.

I am somewhat jealous of people who leap out of bed, fully-functional, at 6 am.  Even if they go to bed early, my perception is that they get more done during the day.

Are you a morning person or a night person?  And do you wish you were the opposite?

*******

I’ve always wondered if when you comfortably wake up determines your overall mood.  If you’re awake for more hours of the day, it would follow that you’d also intake more sunlight.  And that has to affect your mood.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a happy person even though I am technically often happy.  I would probably label myself more a hue of blue than sunny yellow.  Is it because if given the option, I wouldn’t be awake to take advantage of the sunlight?  Is my body less capable of using sunlight in that way, and is that why I’m programmed to be awake late into the night and lazy in the morning?

So now matching it with whether you are a morning person or a night person, go a step further and answer whether you would describe yourself as a melancholy blue person or a sunny, yellow person*.

* I’m talking in broad brushstrokes.  Overall, I think most people who have met me have seen me happy.  But I think my overall state leans towards the quieter, bluer hues.

37 comments

1 April { 08.10.11 at 8:29 am }

I am NOT a morning person, but I’m not a night owl either. I tend to run more of an afternoon / evening person. My husband says I’m the most optimistic person he knows, but that’s not really saying much since he’s a pessimist so any looking on the bright side makes me the eternal optimist. It broad terms, I’m more of a sunny yellow most of the time, but I have my moments of the quiet blues as well.

2 a { 08.10.11 at 8:51 am }

I tend to get up early but I am not a morning person. It’s better not to talk to me until I’ve been up for at least an hour. My dad used to think he was hilarious when he would ask me brightly how I was doing as I was stumbling down the stairs first thing in the morning. I would growl at him. But, I prefer to get up early because I like to get things done first and relax later. My husband prefers to sleep late and start working later. It’s very annoying. I am not sunny but I am sunnier than he is, so maybe there’s something to your theory.

3 HereWeGoAJen { 08.10.11 at 9:03 am }

I used to be a night person, but then I realized I would have to get up early pretty much every day for the rest of my life and I trained myself to be a morning person. (This was in high school.) And I am the sunniest yellowest person possibly in the world.

4 Lacie { 08.10.11 at 9:49 am }

I am a night person with a sunny yellow personality. When left to my own devices (summer, when I am not in grad school) I like to roll out of bed around 9:00. I could, very easily, sleep later, but I feel like I am being “lazy” if I do (I do LOVE a good sleeping in session though). Then, I slowly adapt to being awake. I drink my coffee or tea. I check my facebook, instagram, and blogs. Then, when I am ready, I’ll think about maybe being productive. I’d like to think that this is my last summer of this kind of living for a while, as I plan on being pregnant this month!

5 serenity { 08.10.11 at 9:50 am }

I’m a morning person. My best work is done between 5 and 6am. Even in college, I LOVED my 8am classes and couldn’t really stay up at night. It’s just how I’ve grown up – my parents never really let me sleep in when I was a kid, so going to bed early is luxurious.

Plus, 5am is when I’m running now, and I get SO inspired by the sunrise and cool and scent of the mornings in the late summer. It’s wonderful.

Morning is more more mellow time; it’s before the Responsibility of my Day starts to weigh on me. So I’d say that I’m a mellow inspired morning person. 🙂

xoxo

6 coffeegrljp { 08.10.11 at 9:54 am }

I’m a morning person and always have been. I remember lying in bed in the morning and listening to my parents moving around the kitchen early in the morning – knowing that I wasn’t supposed to get up until 7am. It wasn’t always easy to wait, but it was comforting to hear them. I’d say I tend toward the more yellow hues but I’m no Pollyanna either. I had a brief flirtation with pulling some all-nighters in my final year of college and they nearly undid me. Of course that’s what sleep deprivation does to one. Still, I found the quiet still of the night, and the new world it revealed to me, to be enticing. The main problem is that much as I’d like to function better after 7pm, it almost never happens. Taking night classes in graduate school was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Keeping my brain running at 8 or 9 pm???

7 N { 08.10.11 at 9:56 am }

I am a night person all the way; have been my whole life. It makes mornings miserable (I feel bad for my co-workers), but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I actually really miss working at movie theatres. I loved working off hours; sleeping the morning away, working in the afternoon, and then having the night hours all to myself.

8 niobe { 08.10.11 at 10:01 am }

Morning. Early, early morning. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to sleep past, oh, say, 7:00 am at the absolute latest.

And the darkest shade of blue you can imagine. I’d call it midnight blue except that I’m not sure I’ve ever actually been awake at midnight.

9 TamiC { 08.10.11 at 10:13 am }

I have a strict rule at work that no one is to come to me with hard questions or more than two-syllabel words before 10 a.m. I am definitely a night-owl, and mornings are treacherous for me. I truly wish I could be one of those people who gets up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5:30 every morning, has a cup o’ Joe, goes to the gym for an hour, and makes it to work 30 minutes early. I am the person who wakes up panicked by two alarms going off, rushes around to get ready, and is 7 mintues late to work every day. Thankfully, my boss finds this amusing, and I stay late every day to make amends.

10 noswimmers { 08.10.11 at 10:54 am }

I am definitely NOT a morning person, and I would describe myself as a yellow sunny kinda gal. I’ve always been jealous of morning people…how do they do it? I would LOVE to be the chick who gets up at 5am and goes for a run before work. But I’ve sorta come to the conclusion that that will never happen.
Cheers to the night owls!

11 Esperanza { 08.10.11 at 10:57 am }

I think that people get better sleep when they get to go to bed later and get up later. I believe they’ve actually proven that that is the case in young adults and it has prompted some high schools to push back their start time to 9am. I remember always starting my homework at about 11am when I was in high school and not finishing until 2 or 3am. I lived off 4 hours of sleep back then and I still wonder how I did it.

I have to wake up every morning at 5:45 to get to my school on time (I have a 30 minute commute that quickly becomes a 45 minute commute if I leave too late). That means I really should be asleep by 10:00pm but that rarely happens. My internal clock never has me ready for sleep until 11pm-ish.

This summer I had more leeway because my daughter is amazing and usually sleeps until 8am. I found myself sleeping from midnight to 7:30 or 8am most mornings and I was so much better rested than I am when I get the same amount of sleep but pushed back two hours. Obviously my ideal time for rest and rejuvenation is midnight to 8am.

I think I’m more of a blue person, but I think I need sunlight or the blueness gets too dark. Or maybe it’s just because I live in San Francisco where the fog blots out the sun so much of the time – when it’s nice out I MUST be outside. If I can’t make it into the sun for at least a little bit I get very upset.

12 Lori Lavender Luz { 08.10.11 at 11:04 am }

Like you, night person, blue hue.

13 Willow { 08.10.11 at 11:05 am }

I’m not a morning person either! I agree with you that starting the day around 10am would be ideal. I too have always done my best writing at night, whether it’s my freelance projects or my MFA thesis novel, but staying up till 2 to finish things became a problem with a baby in the house. He simply doesn’t sleep in just because I was up late working! And I haven’t found another really good time to write, though when he was littler, naptimes weren’t bad, I guess because I knew they were my only chance to get any work done. But yeah, I think if my days could just start a little later, I’d be SO much more productive all day long, instead of spending all morning trying to feel awake enough to be creative!

14 T_Lee { 08.10.11 at 11:08 am }

I am, by nature, absolutely a night person. There’s nothing better than sitting on a porch or in a window at night when everything is quiet, reading or just watching (or, hearkening back to college, partying with friends). I also tend toward the bluer end of the spectrum- I think most night owls do, because I think most night owls are more solitary people. Not sad or lonley, we just enjoy our solitude more and tend to be a little quieter…
If I could change it, though, I would prefer to be a morning person- but only because life demands it . If my ‘me’ time is gotten at 3am (when I want it), walking up with the kids at 6 is pretty painful. Life would be a bit easier if I could just spring out of bed at 5 am to exercise and have coffee and a read before everyone is up.

15 Tigger { 08.10.11 at 11:32 am }

Not a morning person. The fact that my husband leaves for work at 8:30 and the child sleeps until roughly 10 (after the husband feeds him around 7-8!) makes life decent right now. We go to bed at midnight. That is soon to change, however, as I start college again in <2 weeks and MY first class starts at 8:40. I have to leave the house about an hour earlier than that to drop the boy off at a friend's and still have time to get a parking spot AND catch the shuttle to class!

People who are seriously sunny that early in the morning drive me batty. I've been caught grumbling several time that "it's too damn early in the morning to be that cheery!" to any friend in hearing distance…or even texting! I am more of a grey person – do not talk to me early in the morning and expect any kind of reasonably coherent response.

16 JDragonfly { 08.10.11 at 12:17 pm }

I’m a morning person. My brain doesn’t function well in the evenings (which sucks right now because I’m an evening law school student). To study, I set the alarm for 3:30 or 4:00 am to pack in a couple hours before I have to leave for work. And, I’m generally sunny yellow though these days (with IF and so much else on my plate) I’m becoming more blue…

17 loribeth { 08.10.11 at 12:21 pm }

I read somewhere just this week (on a blog, I think) where the writer described herself as neither a morning person nor a night owl, but a “10 a.m. to 10 p.m. person.” I thought that was brilliant & also fit me to a T. I find I generally don’t hit my stride at work until somewhere between 10 & 2. Which of course also happens to coincide with my lunch & coffee breaks, lol. ; )

I come from a family of night owls, and I used to be much more of one when I was younger — but it’s just not possible when you have to get up at 5 a.m. weekdays in order to get to work by 8. :p If I’m not in bed by 10 p.m. at the latest, I pay for it. :p (I’m sure the age thing also has something to do with it.) It’s tough when I’m on vacation with my family, as I was just now, particularly when you factor in the one-hour time zone difference. 10 p.m. (11 p.m. our time), & the card game is just getting started, & I’m nodding off over my hand. By the end of our visit, I’ve just started getting used to late nights again, & it’s time to go home and back to 5 a.m. :p

As for colour — I’d say I’m mostly sunny yellow, with the occasional cloudy period. ; )

18 JustHeather { 08.10.11 at 12:27 pm }

I think I’m a green person. I prefer staying up late, but if I have to I can wake up early and be chipper (usually). I just have the hardest time crawling into bed (and going to sleep) before midnight. I love staying up late and I think I do my best creative stuff in the evening, except logical stuff and school work need(ed) to be done earlier. I also love being up in the mornings. The early morning air and quietness is just amazing, but it doesn’t get as appreciated when one gets to bed too late.

Like a (2nd comment), my dad thought it was funny to make some smart comment to me when I’d wake up and come out to the living room to sit and wake up. Most times I just need a bit of wake up time, which I guess it is good that most of the time hubby is still sleeping when I leave for work. I get me time in the morning and can usually deal with co-workers by the time I get to work.

19 Meim { 08.10.11 at 1:59 pm }

I am NOT a morning person.

Although, there have been many times when I have gotten up before my usual time and found myself to feel better throughout the day. The unfortunate part is that no matter what time I get out of bed, I am still awake well into the early morning hours. That just makes the day after my early rise a nightmare.

Maybe I just need more melatonin. LOL

As far as colors go, I think I’m perhaps a dewy green. A happy mix of blue and yellow.

20 Heather { 08.10.11 at 2:16 pm }

I’m an afternoon person…and probably purple. Like that color of purple that the sky turns just before the sun goes to bed. Not dark, not bright…just pretty. Somehow happy and a bit sad at the same time.

21 Elizabeth { 08.10.11 at 3:11 pm }

Niobe!!!

22 Betty M { 08.10.11 at 3:23 pm }

Oh night definitely and blue rather than yellow. But quite a bright blue.

23 Jackie { 08.10.11 at 4:08 pm }

We could almost be related, lol. I am absolutely a night person (woke up today at 2:00pm, and only because I set an alarm). I go to bed when the sun rises, not by choice but because that seems to be when my body wants me to sleep. I envy morning people so much! My favorite time to wake up is right as the sun rises, but it just doesn’t happen without some serious disturbance to my typical sleep schedule and it’s always very temporary.
Your theory seems correct. In the winter, when I only see the sun for about 2 hours before it sets, I get very depressed and lethargic. As soon as the days get longer and I can get out before dark, I’m a new person. Even my therapist commented on the change. So I guess I’m both melancholy blue and sunny yellow, depending on the time of year.
By the way, there are circadian rhythm sleep disorders (wikipedia it!) that affect when you naturally get tired. Not trying to throw an illness label on it or anything, but I find it very interesting and thought you might too. 🙂

24 Mali { 08.10.11 at 4:21 pm }

I’m definitely NOT a morning person, though like you Mel I,ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to set the alarm for 3am to catch flights for business trips, and then had to be civil to colleagues. I’m not a late night person either, more an afternoon/early evening person. My husband is a morning person and it drives me nuts! And a friend is a morning person and is on anti-depressants so I’m not sure your theory about happiness and optimism pans out,

25 Angie { 08.10.11 at 4:22 pm }

I am a very early morning person, like default mode is wake at 5am, fully functioning, sleep at 9p. I am definitely blue-grey, like pantone 534.

26 It Is What It Is { 08.10.11 at 4:42 pm }

I used to not be a morning person in that when I woke up, it took me a while to get going (even if I was usually in an OK but groggy mood).

With the advent of motherhood, my entire circadian rhythm has shifted. I now go to be regularly between 10-11 and I am up by 6/6:30. Since I do the morning routine (and my night owl husband does the bedtime routine), I’m on from the time our son’s feet hit the hardwood. Now, if I get up on the early side, it gives me some time to check emails, write, FB, clean-up, etc which always gives me a jump on my day. I am MUCH more productive waking early even if I am actually physically awake the same number of hours as if I woke later and went to bed later.

So, as much as I miss the days of sleeping in til 8 or, gasp, 9, I feel more productive now which de-stresses me and makes me overall more happier.

27 Sushigirl { 08.10.11 at 5:42 pm }

I’m not really a morning person, but my husband really hates mornings – at least until his second or third cup of coffee. If I’m being grumpy it’s his fault for being even more bad-tempered. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

28 Jen @ a little barefoot blog { 08.10.11 at 8:14 pm }

I’m a mostly sunshiny morning person. I find it very, very difficult to wake up most of the time but once I am up and at ’em I am so much happier when I get my day started early. It’s funny, but staying up too late at night and waking up too late in the morning (which never happens anymore) both never fail to make me sad and anxious.

29 Baby Smiling In Back Seat { 08.10.11 at 9:42 pm }

Such such such a night person. If I go to bed before 2 a.m. it is because I have forced myself.

Blueish I suppose.

30 Amy Elaine { 08.11.11 at 10:23 am }

I don’t trust morning people. My husband is a morning person and it makes me suspicious of him (he also has an “internal clock” and never has to set an alarm. WHAT??) I work from 8:30-5, and think it is inhumane. My office mates know not to talk to me until I have had 2 cups of tea.

31 Amy { 08.11.11 at 6:55 pm }

So not a morning person and definitely a blue hue. I’ve had periods that hinted I could be a morning person; for an entire summer I got up at 5:30 am and walked my dogs for an hour before starting the rest of my routine. And I felt terrific. Then winter started in and I didn’t have the sun beckoning me and it all went to pot. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice my mood was a lot more yellow during that brief time…

32 California { 08.11.11 at 9:53 pm }

Morning person, but work overnight 2x/wk. And whenever I work, I STILL love the sight of the 6 on the clock – a new day!! The kids are morning people too, for which my husband blames me, right up until the second one drops off to sleep just before seven, whereupon he eats dinner in peace and does not mention a preference for night owls…

33 cgReno { 08.13.11 at 11:15 am }

Definetly a mourning person. Up by 5:am, french pressed coffee in hand and waiting to watch the sun rise with my three dogs. I am most productive from 6am-2pm, after that is a slow slide into dreamland. I am in bed by 9:30 most days. Would not describe myself as melancholy, however, definetly serene blue tones rule my life.

34 Adrianne { 08.15.11 at 7:32 am }

Like you, I also work best during night time, when every one else in the house is asleep and I’m the only one left awake. My creative juices are more up and running that time.

35 Bea { 08.19.11 at 12:16 pm }

Ooh. That’s an interesting theory. I match in the not-morning category.

36 Billy { 08.27.11 at 6:20 am }

Me – I am very much a blue night owl! I love the quietness of the night when it’s just me.
Your theory is interesting, but I would go the other way round – maybe people who are blue tend to prefer the quiet dark night and people who are yellow prefer the sunny day?

37 Battynurse { 09.01.11 at 3:40 am }

Night person all the way. I prefer to work at night, I prefer to stay up late and get up late. I can (if I have to which I’ve had to much to often lately) get up early but I need longer to “wake up” and adjust then when I wake in the afternoon. That said I do love sun light although not necessarily being outside in it. Overall I would say I do tend more towards a blueness or melancholy-ness although thank goodness for medications that improve on that.

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