Insomnia

In addition to the other things I've mentioned previously, I'm also an insomniac.  Never been diagnosed officially, but judging by how I sleep at this point I don't think an official diagnosis is really necessary.  Particularly this school year.  I first started staying up late back in 6th grade.  I'd stay up under the covers playing gameboy, and once my parents had gone to bed I'd come downstairs for a while. Sometimes this was to do homework I had told my parents was already done, but other times there was no real reason.  I just did.  As time progressed, II continued like this.  But last year my dad started working out of town, and he was the one who would traditionally send us up.   My mom would go up to bed and tell us not to stay up too late, and the definition of too late seemed to progress later and later.  Soon I was regularly staying up past midnight on a daily basis and getting up at 6:00 AM.  And why not?  Even in bed, I never would fall asleep earlier than 12:30 (and believe me I had been trying, many, many times).

This year my dad's been back home again, but I've still been staying up later and later with or without them telling me to go up.  1 AM, 2:30, 4, what's the difference?  It's more time to spend doing stuff, and unlike many I suffer only one major downside, a harder time waking up in the morning.  Once I'm awake though, I function well, I don't get grouchy, and I get through the day without anyone noticing the difference.  This past week I've gotten between 30 minutes and 3 hours of sleep each weeknight, without exception.  I plan to take a more normal schedule for finals week next week, but the other day I finally realized why I'm such an insomniac.  It's because I like to be.  In the state of minimal sleep, I tend not to over think things.  I am more straightforward.  I don't second guess what I'm about to say, so I speak sincerely.  I do a much better job of being myself without worrying about it.  Is what I do really a problem?