Since last week, I've been staying up really late. I'm sleepy, but I always tell myself I'll sleep later. I usually fall into bed at around 2:30. Every day. Is there a problem with that? Will I go insane, that's what I hear people tell me. What's your advise? Should I fall asleep sooner or is it alright to stay up late. As you can clearly see, I'm doing it right now.

What time do you get up?

I don't usually go to bed until 3:30 or 4 am. I am almost always up by 10:30 am, sometimes earlier. No problems here.

Pfft. 2:30am is perfectly normal.

It's 6:51am where I am right now, and i'm still up. That's lack of sleep for you.

Your sleeping habits are like mine... except mine may be a bit worse.

Good to know, thanks.

Anyone telling you staying up late will make you insane is a bunch of bahooey. The only way you can really do harm is if you miss out on lots of sleep. With lack of sleep you build up somewhat of a sleep debt, too, so it's like a minor way of compensating for lost sleep the night before.

It would be healthier to go to sleep a little earlier. Sleep is good, and the most effective sleep you get early in the night. Then again, your age matters. Teens seem to enjoy staying up late and waking up late, and there does not seem to be a big problem with that as long as you get enough sleep, but the older you get, the earlier you go to sleep and it's not just daily rhythm. It's more like your natural clock. I used to stay up late and wake up around noon too.

Same here. I haven't died yet and my sanity is mostly intact.

Yes, you will begin engaging in acts of random violence that you won't remember almost immediately.

But in all seriousness I've been staying up till anywhere from 2 to 6 AM almost every night since I was about 13. As long as you are still getting 7 - 8 hours of sleep on average it really doesn't matter. I like to think I haven't gone insane, so I think you will be alright.

What happens if that 7-8 hour thing isn't exactly working out?

8 hours of sleep is actually too much - you should be getting 5-7 hours sleep as an advlt, and 8-10 as a child or teenager.

At around 20 hours without sleep you start getting giggly, at 36 it's just exhaustion, and at 72 you get hallucinations.

Oh well then you die a horrid, blood puking, agonizing death of course.

With lazers.

Well it looks I was just under half a day from hallucinations then. 62 hours is my "record" so far, I hope I never beat it.

Well- I stay up till 1 30 every night and i'm completely off my rocker.

The two, however, are unrelated

The only problem is you're messing with your sleep hygiene. Your body is used to getting up and going to sleep at certain times, and changing these times can have consequences. You won't feel tired at the same time and end up staying up later, won't feel as rested, want to sleep longer, things like this. Not to freak you out, as its nothing major to worry about, but its something to be aware of. It isn't exactly a healthy habit, but its not going to kill you either.

If lack of sleep caused you to go insane most people would be sent to a mental institution before the end of college- or shortly after their first full time job, whichever comes first.

If you're constantly falling asleep late, that just means your sleep schedule has adjusted to falling asleep late. My own sleep schedule is terrible- I don't get tired until 6 am, but that's a side effect of college and staying up all night to finish homework. When 6 am comes I either get some sleep or stay up longer and go to sleep at a "normal" hour the following night, then get a lot of sleep, wake up the next day and proceed to stay awake until 6 am again. I could adjust my sleep schedule back to normal, and so can you, but honestly I don't mind it too much, because I'm getting all the sleep I need, just at a different time than normal.

Is that so? Well then I stay in bed too long, and that isn't going to change.

I don't know about that, I've found that a good nine hours is what I need to be considered well-rested. Any more or any less and I'll still feel tired.

Then again, maybe that's just the tail-end of adolescence screwing around with me.


So are you arguing for or against it being true? University students I am certain are insane even when they have slept properly.

Indeed.

I got 13 hours sleep last night

I got about 7 hours the last two days combined.

Odd, I seem to start getting giggly not very long after waking up often times. Does that mean something?

You only live ones, don't sleep away your life :thumbsup: