I have repeatedly disciplined myself to follow a strict 'normal' sleep pattern but inevitably I lapse back into my preferred routine. Trying to function in a 9-5 world meant I was always sleep deprived. Now that my son is grown and I am self employed I have the luxury of being able to set my own hours.

I love the early hours of the day (midnight to 6 am) when everyone else is asleep and I can do my thing without being disturbed or interrupted. So much less anxiety to cope with when the world around you is asleep. I think this comes from being single and childless until I was almost 40. I covet my alone time enormously.

Even if I hadn't slept the day or night before I will have a burst of energy come 10pm to midnight that will last well into the morning hours. The slows will hit around 10 am and I will drag myself through the day no matter how much sleep I did or didn't log the day/night before.

I can be falling asleep in my hands at 8pm (I dare not go to bed or I will be awake again by 11pm with no possibility of going back to sleep) but by 10 pm I am starting to perk up and by midnight I am well in the swing of things and before I know it I am hearing the birds singing in a new day and I am finally ready to sleep.

The main thing for me is to ensure I get at least 6 to 7 hours sleep at a time. I will take more when I can get it but generally that's the max before it will feel like too much sleep and the triggering of depression.

I have determined that for me to be sleeping by 3/4 am and up again 10/11 am-ish works best for me. I get to maximize on those wee morning hours of high energy production while I still get going early enough to take care of business in the day.

Its tricky cuz the earlier I go to bed, routinely or hap-hazardly the more likely I will only sleep a few hours before waking. Often those are the worst sleeps. Ugly dreams and ugly feelings when I wake up making the day that much harder to face and manage.

Validating my right to determine my own sleep patterns no matter the 'strangeness' of the hours has been the best gift I ever gave to myself. I don't even hide it anymore. "Yup, you woke me. Yup its 11 am. Nope... I am not a lazy bum just cuz I sleep different hours than you. Wanna see what I did last night while you were sleeping?"