I just got a job that consists only of night shifts. I’m currently working from 2 AM to around 6 or 7 AM. Usually, I’m off to dream world before 9 AM and sleep 'til 5 PM. This has been my sleep routine for three weeks now.
My question is: does it matter when you sleep as long as you sleep enough?
I’m asking this because my girlfiend thinks I’m going completely mad by sleeping “when it’s bright outside” and not as we humans are supposed to sleep, at night that is. But to me, this sounds silly. The only argument she has is that we can’t get a good “nights” sleep when it’s bright outside because somehow our bodies recognize it. The major flaw are the changing seasons. Here, where I live, it’s really, really dark in the winter and really, really bright in the summer. So, according to her theory, us living up North, should sleep much more in winter time and a lot less in the summer.
I assume you’re asking about dreaming?
I have practically no sleep schedule as I sleep literally whenever I feel like sleeping. it differs on school days and holidays, weekends, etc. and so far I haven’t had any problems with dreaming so I guess it doesn’t really matter when you sleep, you can have also lucid dreams any time of the day
as for sleeping time affecting your health,well it certainly is not very healthy. but who can afford going to bed before midnight (which is the best for your body to recover properly) everyday, right
As long as you sleep 8 hours a day, you will go through all the stages of sleep and thus will be well rested.
However, it’s worth noting that while the sun is up and your body is recieving natural sunlight, you naturally produce melatonin and vitamin D, both of which are important to your bodies natural rhythm. This is why certain people in Alaska or other very northern parts, where they can go without sunlight for extended periods of time, may begin to feel depressed or anxious.
So no, it doesn’t matter when you sleep if you’re speaking purely of sleep schedule, and certainly many people DO enjoy a nocturnal schedule, but certainly sunlight has it’s benefits in other areas of mental health.