Owl or Lark?

I have a love affair with coffee that spans several years. Ever since I can remember, my dad had to have a cup of coffee every morning. It was also a treat when he would pick up a gallon of coffee flavored Breyers ice cream (Mom, ever the health nut, often forbade ice cream in the house). So, the taste and smell of coffee has been something that has captured my senses for some time. But it wasn't until I was in college that it became a morning necessity for me.

Never more than a cupful, I began to need it's rousing effects within 15 minutes of waking. I sometimes worried about this morning routine because I knew about the dehydrating effects of coffee/caffeine on the vocal folds (not good for singers). But, I figured it was alright if I just drank loads of water, which I have always done as a singer anyway.

Not only does the taste of coffee rank high on my list of all time wonderful flavors, but it has also made mornings something I can handle. You see, for the longest time getting out of bed has been difficult and (before coffee) I would need a good hour before I felt like a normal person. When I married Rodney, I began to see this as a moral dillema because he would pop out of bed every morning well before 8 am (on a weekend) and I began to feel that my desire to sleep in (past 8 am) was seen as lazy (even though he would never say this). It wasn't until I began reading Ferber to help Will's sleep that I understood our differnces and exactly why I "needed" coffee in the morning.

Dr. Ferber separates us into two groups: owls and larks. Here's what he says about owls: "[these] are people who get energized at night. Their second wind is strong, and the late night is often the most pleasant time of their whole day. Owls feel most alert at that time; they can think clearly, study effectively, and play well. Staying up late is easy for them. But owls have a problem in the morning: waking up and starting the day, even after a full night's sleep, is painful and difficult, like climbing out of a deep hole (YES!!!). Owls don't like to get up, and they avoid early-morning activities whevever they can." This is definately me.

And here's Rodney: "For larks, the second wind is less forceful. As night falls, larks feel as if they are sliding into the same deep hole that owls wake up from each morning. Finding it unpleasant to stay up late, larks may pass up evening activities or leave them early. But they wake up without any trouble early in the morning, usually feeling great. They want to get right up and start doing things. For larks, morning is the best time of day and evening is the worst."

I can't tell you how many times Rodney has put on a pot of coffee at night just to remain awake for evening activities.

Dr. Ferber goes on to explain that not everyone necessarily falls into either of these categories. I often marvel at my mother-in-law's ability to stay up late AND get up early without (seemingly) difficulties.

So, there you have it. I am an owl and Rodney is a lark. This explains so much. Our families even fit nicely into these two categories, with little variation. So, is one better than the other? What do you think? Are you an owl or a lark by nature?

Here's a picture that I took of Rodney this past week. The exact time I took it was 8:30 pm. He went on to sleep just like this until 11:30 pm, when I came in to bed and I woke him and told him to get ready for bed. If I hadn't done that he would have slept this way all night. I can't tell you how many times this has happened since we've been married.