9 Amazing Things That Happen When You Stay Up Late Into The Night

As I'm writing this line, the clock stretches to 12:06--AM. I was a night-owl for many years--loved it. But then I had kids and came to the whiplash realization that if I'm not rested by 7AM when they wake up, I'm hooped the rest of the day. So, over a period of about a month, I transformed from a night owl to early bird, rising between 5:00 and 5:30 to work on things for which I need plenty of time and (quiet) space. 

It's now 12:09AM, and I'm not a night owl. I've been up since 5:30 this morning, and I'm getting sleepy. Being up like this reminds me of my years as a night owl and the benefits thereof. Here are some that come to mind:

1. It's quiet: When you're up past midnight, it's likely you're alone and the rest of the family is in bed. It's peaceful. One can get a lot of thinking done with such peace and quiet. 

2. Coziness: OK, probably a cheezy way of putting it, but there's a way in which the night has a cozy factor--it's a time when blankets can be placed over you while you're huddled over a book, TV or computer screen. This kind of coziness is a by-product of peace and quiet. 

3. Productivity: As mentioned, you can get a lot done when there's no one to bother you. As well, the darkness of night provides a frame of deep focus--you're not distracted by salubrious sunbeams or frolicking squirrels across your roof, or bird songs out your window. You're in. 

4. No where to go: You have nothing scheduled at this time--it's time out of (scheduled/arranged) time. As such, you can relax, be in the moment, think, do. 

5. Stretch the day out: If you feel you don't have enough hours in the day, usurp your usual 10PM bedtime for 1:30AM. There is indeed a sense that night owls have that the day is something whose every droplet one must squeeze and drain out. 

6. Sleep is better: When you hit the hay after a late-night work session, and you're head feels like it's going to split open, and your heart is beating heavy, the bed just feels that much better. 

7. New ideas: There is something strange that happens when you're up late--you have different kinds of insights. It's like the profound fatigue you're feeling opens up another dimension of thinking. If you want an altered state of consciousness, don't sleep for 24 hours. 

8. Sleep in: Night owls tend to sleep in more, which creates the conditions for fresher ideas. There's something about lying around in bed that gets the brain moving and conjoining all kinds of disjointed thoughts. I find laying around an extra hour in bed in the morning to be very productive--if I have a notebook near by.

9. Be in good company: By becoming a night owl, you can join the ranks of Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, and yes even Keith Richards. There is an entire history of night owls--those who have plumbed the depths of night to emerge with great jewels of creativity and imagination.