My body clock

Yesterday was BYU’s homecoming game, which I went to and enjoyed every minute of, including the rain that fell for most of the second half and had me resembling a drowned rat when I got home because I rode my bike to the game. It was also very enjoyable because BYU won.

After the game I was talking with my mom on the phone about the game and BYU. Every year on the Saturday of homecoming week, BYU has a homecoming parade. While I attended BYU for four years, I never once saw the parade. My first two years at BYU the parade even went past my residence hall. All I would’ve had to do was step outside and I could’ve watched it. But I was never awake early enough. My body clock is not set for me to get up willingly early in the morning.

I had a conversation recently with someone about the settings of our body clocks. I mentioned that I get the best sleep of the whole year during my three months of summer when I can go to bed when I’m tired (three or four in the morning), and get up naturally eight hours later. Even if I manage to get eight hours of sleep during the school year, it isn’t as restful as the eight hours I get during the summer.

This person suggested that I gradually reset my body clock so that I get tired at ten. I don’t think they know what they are talking about. I’m twenty-nine. If going to school since I was five hasn’t reset my body clock, I really don’t know what will. I’ve been this way since I was born. I can force myself to go to sleep earlier during the school year. But give me just a couple of days where I set my own schedule, and I’m back to three or four in the morning, or later. In fact I seem to recall it only taking two days after I got home from my mission. And that was after spending 18 months going to bed at 10:30 and getting up at 6:30. My mission couldn’t even reset my clock.

So in short – BYU football games are great. And I have an odd sleep schedule and probably will till the day I die.