Why Do I Get Motivated at Night?
Why do I get motivated at night? If you constantly contemplate the questions, why do I get motivated at night? Why do I want to get work done during the later hours of the day rather than the early hours? Why are my energy levels low during the day, and I am relatively energetic in the evening?
There might be several reasons behind this, the main one being your body cycles, your requirement for peace while working, and maybe the freedom to get things done at your own pace. This article is going to answer all of these questions.
To begin with, if you get random bursts of motivation at night to do things even at 3 am in the morning if you go to bed early but are unable to sleep and wake up groggily, then you might want to identify yourself as a night owl and manage your time and ensure your health is not compromised upon. First, you must know about night owls and why they are “different”.
Who are night owls?
Night owls are the people who go to bed late at night, and their productivity levels are on a surge after most people have done their bedtime routines. As absurd as this sounds, these people make up roughly 10 to 30 percent of the total human population.
Night owls are not unconventional, many people in our surroundings are ascribed as night owls, and they may be the ones you think of as having the worst sleep schedules. These people are misunderstood mainly because we think of them as lazy when in reality, they are not sluggish; they have a different period during which they get the maximum amount of work done.
Why do I get motivated at night and
Why Do People Feel More Productive at Night?
- Your body cycles are designed that way.
The single most accurate reason why a minor proportion of the population is described as night owls is because of their circadian rhythm. This 24-hour cycle is a part of the body’s internal cycle that regulates many functions in the human body. These chronotypes determine the time you wake up and go to sleep.
People who are productive at night may have a different circadian rhythm than early risers. These people have a circadian rhythm of more than 24 hours.
Regarding rhythms and body cycles, the ultradian cycle is the 90 min period during which individuals have a higher productivity level. Some of us may have an ultradian cycle at night to feel much more productive in the later hours of the evening.
Moreover, your melatonin levels highly affect your productivity; for a morning person, their body releases more melatonin at night, and they have lower cortisol at night, decreasing their alertness. The opposite happens with night owls, who are more alert at night due to higher levels of cortisol and lesser amounts of melatonin secreted. And that’s the real answer to why do I get motivated at night.
Why Do I focus better at Night?
2: You are less stimulated at night.
One thing we can agree upon is that at night there is a decrease in distractions; precisely, you are less disturbed by the people around you. Moreover, there is increased tranquillity since most people are asleep. This silence is a bonus factor for working efficiently late at night.
For example, if you are a working mother who can only work after the kids sleep, the evening is the best time; you have fewer distractions and are more likely to get maximum work done. Night owls who have ADHD are less stimulated by the lights, and most of the sensory distractions have been reduced to zero at night.
- Your genetic makeup compels you to feel motivated at night.
If you see that one of your parents has the same sleep schedule as you, they stay up till late, and that’s just how they accomplish most of their goals, you might conclude that you have gotten those genes from them.
Since you’ve gotten these genes, it is natural that you feel those random bursts of motivation at even 3 am in the morning. According to an extract from an article published on CNN Health, Michael Weedon says,
“Using data from 700,000 individuals, we’ve found 351 genetic factors that influence whether you prefer mornings or evenings”.
Moreover, Susan Scutti writes that the amount of DNA that influences people’s productivity at night may consist of 24 genes.
- Your creativity level soars at night
All of us possess unique thinking capabilities; nearly a gazillion factors influence our capability to think out of the box. For several people, the levels of their creative and cognitive thinking skyrocket during the later hours of the day when they are not constantly dividing their attention between phone calls, attending to clients and colleagues, and a wide number of miscellaneous tasks that disrupt your concentration.
As Professor Marina Giampietro explains, being in a nocturnal environment
“may encourage the development of a non-conventional spirit and of the ability to find alternative and original solutions.”
This further clarifies the point that nocturnal people may prove to find better solutions to problems as well as think more peculiarly.
- You prefer doing things at your own pace.
It’s common knowledge that some people may not work well under supervision or when they are told to abide by rigid instructions. This does not mean they are difficult to work with; it just means they do not perform well under constant nagging.
When HR is repeatedly at your neck asking for meeting minutes, and you cannot get yourself to write them, your work pace is slow, and you haphazardly multitask. All of this correlates to your productivity levels being high at places with silence and no outside intervention- nighttime.
Naturally, these people would want to work in an environment without external factors hindering their thought processes. If you relate to this, you should know that this is one of the reasons why u prefer to work at night and you want to get things done later in the day. Additionally, these people have a sleep schedule that allows them to be efficient at night.
Tips for Maximum Productivity at Night
- Eliminate distractions.
When you’re positive that your brain functions properly at night, Make excellent use of your evening hours. Try to work in a place with limited distractions, put your phone on, do not disturb (except work calls) and make sure none of your kids or other family members interrupt your work time.
- Stick to a realistic sleep schedule.
Even if you understand that you are naturally a nocturnal person, having a sleep schedule that is by your ability to work at night and gives you an 8-hour sleep is vital for staying healthy.
Moreover, stick to a healthy lifestyle, eat healthy, make time for weekly workouts, and take care of your mental health. All this can be done best.
- Avoid overeating/ snacking.
If you depend upon the night to get the maximum amount of work done, you should understand that eating a full meal may not benefit you; instead, opt for lightweight protein snacks. A high dose of caffeine may also have a negative effect on your sleep.
Although meals with increased carbohydrate content provide immediate satisfaction, they can reduce your energy levels. In this way, the time you took to write a report, an essay for college, and a new sales idea for your private business may be wasted, and you may find yourself dozing off.
- Prioritize your tasks.Make a to-do list of things with an incoming deadline and then prioritize them so that things that are on the top get done when your productivity levels are at the highest.
For example, if you know that your energy levels are soaring high from 9 to 12 at night, you should achieve those tasks that are paramount in this time slot. In the mornings, you might want to finish the chores that do not require a major portion of your active thinking.
- Take care of your health.A metabolism specialist at Rutgers University says that“Night owls are reported to have a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease when compared with early birds,”
This highlights the need to properly take care of your health if you are one of the individuals who work till late at night or who may want to accomplish more at night. According to some scientists at Ludwig-Maximilian University, night owls cope with stress and messed up sleeping schedules through smoking and consuming alcohol.
Taking care of your physical health is much more important than anything that you prioritize over your health. At-home workouts, weekly yoga sessions, and even a 20-minute walk can play a significant role in maintaining a good lifestyle.
It would help if you were mindful of what you eat, take your supplements and remember to meal prep in advance so you don’t order takeout late at night when you are exhausted after work.
- Don’t waste your mornings.If you work remotely and can easily adjust your sleeping schedule according to what works best for you, do not completely waste your morning by sleeping in. Get adequate sleep and start your day with errands and chores that do not require you to engage your mind.
On the other hand, if you work a 9 to 5 and have to be in the office early in the morning, talk to your HR and bring things home so that the quality of your work does not diminish due to lack of productivity. Instead, do minor tasks in the mornings till the afternoon.
Conclusion:
To conclude, night owls do not necessarily have to change their ways, mainly because, in most cases, it’s not a personal choice. Rather it’s because they know no other alternative. They do get 3 am motivation and are ok with their daily routines. For them getting out of bed may be easy, but facing the challenges and making productive use of the mornings may be as difficult as it is for a morning person to do things late at night.
Many factors influence your professional and personal habits; it’s impossible to completely go out of your way and adjust to a lifestyle that goes against your body cycles, your genetic makeup and things that are a part of your personality. One can never excel in life by going against nature; for most people, being a night owl is their nature. Not all can change their nature to modify themselves according to work and education; some have to suffer in silence.
Awareness is the only way people can incorporate healthy consistent habits in their life and have a beneficial professional and personal life. Like a well-oiled machine, this environment works well with their true nature and personality. You must know enough about every aspect of your life that affects you.
You do not have to change yourself to succeed; making the most out of available resources and time will prove practical.
