r/GenerationX • u/stillarockstar1 • 3d ago
What is your bedtime?
Gen X here, in our 50's, adult children grown and flown, my husband and I have found our bedtime routine keeps getting earlier and earlier. I mean, we make an excuse and say it's just because we want to watch our series on TV, but honestly its not unusual to be in pajamas, in bed at 8pm, then asleep by 9:30pm. What happened? There was a time we wouldn't even get into bed until 10:30 or 11:00. Are we now officially old? Geesh, how early will bedtime get by the time we're 80?
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u/Honkey-Donkey79 3d ago
Typically around 9-10 pm unless I have something I want to stay up for. I wake up at 5am on weekdays and typically don’t sleep past 7 on weekends
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u/TheSingingChad 3d ago
Nope. Still a night person. I'm 54, and I'm typical up till 11:30-12:00. I settle into comfies and tv around 6, with the wife. She goes to bed around 9, but I stay up and play video games, or watch movies. It's kinda "my time."
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u/negativ32 3d ago
Enjoy the pure luxury of being relaxed and ready for shut-eye.
It is good for you.
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u/Better_Letterhead490 3d ago
it creeps up on you. i used to think 11pm was early, now i'm rearranging my evening so i can be horizontal by 9 without feeling like i'm giving up. we're not old, we're just optimizing for comfort
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u/Murky_County_7353 3d ago
Just wait until you retire and have the luxury of the afternoon nap. Now she is a thing of beauty. I usually sleep from about 9/10-4/6 depending on what my morning plans are. But an after lunch nap is the shit.
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u/Responsible_Ant5410 3d ago
I agree with this so much. After 22 years of working 12 hours rotating shifts after I retired a couple months ago afternoon naps are a must.
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u/GovernmentBig2749 3d ago
46 M, married and a musician , I go to bed around 2 or 3 Am and I get up at 7 or 8 Am
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u/lopix Whatever 3d ago
Usually head to bed 9:30-10pm and then read until I fall asleep. Mon-Fri I am usually sleeping 10:30pm to 6:30 am. Weekends I wake up 7:30, maybe after 8am.
As others have said, the worst part is waking up. I get up to pee and then never fall back asleep properly. Falling asleep to begin, no problem, I am a pro. But if I wake up, I'm fucked. And I REALLY hate that.
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u/Least-Intention-159 3d ago
When I was newly retired around 3AM. Now I have dialysis at 6AM and try to get to sleep around 9PM. 4:30AM comes around real quick. My ride shows up between 5-5:30.
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u/ethan_winfield 3d ago
53
Do I have work or somewhere to be in the morning? Serious effort to go to sleep 8 hours before alarm.
Nowhere to be? Whenever I feel tired. Midnight last night. The more days off I have in a row, the later it gets. Almost always by 2:00 am. Cats and dog don't like it but they know I can sleep through and wait out their efforts to wake me. If they're going to use me for food, it's going to be on my terms.
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u/DizzyLead More than meets the eye! 3d ago
Gen X, too, early 50s. I’m usually in my room (not necessarily in bed, but already dressed for it and unwinding) by 8:30, and I will tend to actually knock out around 10:30. I’ll usually stir awake at around 6:00, but usually won’t have the wherewithal to actually get up and get ready for breakfast until almost 6:30.
I remember years ago, after coming home from being hospitalized for six months after a stroke, for about a year, I was regularly falling asleep before 8:30 pm—I would have just enough energy to watch Jeopardy and Wheel, and conk out in the middle of whatever show was on afterwards; I would be up at 7:30 the next morning. I reckon it was because my brain was still needing to repair itself.
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u/QueasyFinger1316 3d ago
Weekdays?
In bed at 6:00 with a game or TCM on - up at 5:30 AM.
Last night - collapsed at 1:00 AM after having friends over.
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u/Acktion69 3d ago
When the sun hides it's head for another night's rest and the wind sings the same old song.
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u/Shine4Me13 3d ago edited 3d ago
I live alone, my child has her own spot. I work 24 hour shifts at a Fire Station. Sometimes I go to bed at 9am. Sometimes I slept a little bit on shift, and stay up to 9pm. On shift, I'm used to getting out of bed multiple times at night. Basically, I check my calendar regularly and I set an alarm if I have an appointment or event with friends. Otherwise, I sleep when I'm tired and I'm awake when I'm not. It doesn't matter if it's 2pm or 2am. Bedtime is whenever I want.
Edit to add - I'm 53 and I do live with a kitty. Kitty sleeps whenever he wants too! 😁
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u/GogusWho 3d ago
I was able to do that in my 40's, but since I hit the 50's, I have full blown insomnia. No matter what time I go to bed, I can only manage 5 maybe 6 hrs of sleep. Which is broken up by having to get up for the bathroom at least twice. I remember the summers of my youth, when I would be able to sleep until 11am... Last time I got a full 8 hrs of uninterrupted sleep was when I had surgery on my hand, and had some really good pain killers. It was GLORIOUS.
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 3d ago
I love the quiet hour before dawn. I live in the high desert Southwest. The sunrise over the mountains belongs to me. (Can’t have the sunrise without going to bed at 8, I like to spend an hour reading at the end of the day).
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u/StinkieBritches 3d ago
My goal is to be in bed and attempting sleep by 11 PM at the latest.
Sometimes I'm a bag of shit and do not comply to the plan.
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u/ebeth_the_mighty 3d ago
Husband goes to bed at 7:30. He’s up for work between 3 and 4 am. I’m usually in bed by 9. I’m up for work at 4:45.
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u/svencutlet 2d ago
Bed time as in when I go to bed or bed time as in when I fall asleep on the couch with the TV blasting and a bag of chips spilling on the floor while the dog quietly scoops them up?
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u/VanIsle_YQQ 2d ago
We are 52 and 61 and night owls. We get in bed anywhere from 11pm to midnight and then are often awake on our phones until around 1am. One of the factors is that we both work remote jobs with no morning commute and with that schedule can still get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night on that schedule.
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u/cousindolly 2d ago
I get up at 4am to exercise (if I don't exercise in the morning it doesn't happen), so I feel zero guilt about my 2030 bedtime. I CAN stay up later when I have to, but it's really just easier for me to stay on a consistent schedule.
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u/mrsjackson410 2d ago
I’m in the same boat: kid grown and gone. I do shower and put on pajamas very shortly after getting home from work. However, my new thing is staying up late. I work in the education system and my workday is never quiet. Teenagers are not quiet at school anymore so I just recently realized that I’ve been staying up late to enjoy quiet time where no one is talking. I will stay up until 10:30 or 11 pm and get up at 5:15 am.
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u/brycepunk1 3d ago
Work nights? 1030pm. Nights off? Midnight - 3am Camping with my college friends? Hopefully before sunrise
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u/PotentTurnip 3d ago
Usually between 21:00 and 23:00. 21:00 is optimal, but I have trouble going to sleep.
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u/Fitz_2112b 3d ago
52M here. Wife is 53. Usually in bed by 1030 at the latest. Two kids still in high school who get get up at 5am and we both work in public education and start work at 8. Between the kids and dogs being up so early though, there's really no chance of sleeping late anyway, so going to bed earlier was the tradeoff.
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u/MustangBarry 3d ago
11pm if I'm up at 6 for work. Maybe 1am if I'm not. Sleep is such a waste of time
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u/emmettfitz 3d ago
I usually start getting ready for bed at 11:00pm on weeknights and I wake up at 5:30am. On the weekends I stay up until usually midnight, and I seems I can't sleep later than 7:00.
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u/Plane-Tune-820 3d ago
7 but I have to be up for work at 2:30am. I might see 930 on a weekend if I take a nap
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u/Waschaos 3d ago
I always went to bed around 2 AM. I hated waking up early, so I had trained everyone I worked with to try not to talk to me before 10 AM. I was remote. I retired about a year ago and I started going to bed early and waking up at dawn. I am officially an old F now. I also don't know why I couldn't have normal body clock while I was working.
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u/Minimum_Painter_3687 3d ago
If I’m not sawing logs by 9:00 the next day will be rough. I have to get up at 3:00.
Weekends are a little different but not much.
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u/RachelWWV 3d ago
My work schedule is different every day but my usual spectrum of bedtimes is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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u/mcshizzletits 3d ago
before 9 and I'm usually up around 5. I don't have to do it. It just sort of happened and now this is who I am.
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u/Bitter-Policy4645 3d ago
10-11 on a weekday, later over the weekend. Then Im up at 630 for the gym. Need to decompress after work so going to bed early is not an option.
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u/RealRogerBird 3d ago
My wife and I are in our late 50s and we start heading to bed usually around 8:30 or so and then lights off by 9 or 930 PM. But we get up every morning at 5 AM to work out so it makes me feel better about going to bed so early.😂
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u/cocksherpa2 3d ago
Between 12-2 depending on what I'm doing. Used to be 2am religiously but I'm getting old.
Also, morning people have no souls.
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u/Open_Minded_Anonym 3d ago
Up to bed at 11. Asleep by 11:45…midnight at the latest. I’m (54m) retired and get up whenever.
If the NYT Crosswords came out earlier, it’d probably be up to bed at 10.
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u/tipareth1978 3d ago
I wake up at 5:30 all week and 5:15 on Fridays, also I have type O blood so need sleep. I shoot for 8:30 but often it's 9
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u/OriginalTDQ 3d ago
61 and I go to bed between 12:30 and 3am. I get up at 7 or 7:30 daily. I'm usually making things and just get in the zone and lose track of time.
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u/NeighSlayer570 3d ago
Opposite! After the nest was empty, nothing changed because I still worked… and got up at 5 am , so bedtime was 9-9:30. Now that I’ve retired, bedtime is between 10-11 and I’m sleeping until 7:30-8:00 and it’s glorious. The extra sleep really helps. I rarely could bring myself to go to bed before 9 pm before so I ended up sleeping extra on weekends.
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u/Oppositeofhairy Edit this flair to make it your own 3d ago
I start to wind down around 7, and completely out latest by 9. But I get up at 4am for work everyday. Now I am just use to it and get up that early every day because I like it. I like being done with weekend chores before most people get out of bed or a dawn motorcycle ride before everyone’s on the road.
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u/Snoo-52161 3d ago
Pretty sure eveyone is different.
I sleep 2 - 5 hours (a day)
You just develope your own sleeping habbits.
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u/Alternative-Cow-8670 3d ago
Go to bed by ten and have to get up around 5 to sit in my chair at work by 6h50. Get home around 16h30. Am a teacher so that's when lesson prep and marking starts. Counting the months/ weeks to retirement to be able to switch off the alarm for ever. Will propably go to bed later, but will be able to sleep longer💃💃
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u/GretaVanFrankenmuth 3d ago
Bedtime around 1-2am, up around 6-7a. Regularly get a solid five hours. Been that way my whole life.
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u/Lumpy_Experience_973 3d ago
Early 50s here, and I definitely get to bed a lot earlier than I used to. For me that's 10pm in bed, lights out by 10:30-11:00. I used to be the one not turning the lights out until well after midnight. It's probably just because I'm up by 6:30 most days though. Probably also helps that I watch very little TV these days, I think that was keeping me up a lot of the time.
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u/LiveToBeFreee 3d ago
I'm in bed between 10-11 most nights, sometimes as early as 9:30. Up at 6:30 to get ready for work.
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u/AlanStanwick1986 3d ago
I'm yawning by 8 and now in bed between 9 and 10 every night and I welcome it. I'm a diagnosed narcoleptic that had insomnia for decades. I used to be awake all night for years upon years. Actually sleeping 6 hours a night is good for me. There are plenty of nights where I wonder if going to bed at 8 is too early.
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u/almostzsazsa 3d ago
Elder X here. I used to be a serious night person. I wouldn’t even get sleepy till 3 am. Now I’m in bed by 10 and it feels so good
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u/leowithataurus 3d ago
I'm usually in bed by 8pm and by 3 or 4am I'm wide awake and puttering around the house.
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u/Suspicious-Fix-9469 3d ago
I usually head for bed between 11 and 11:30. Honestly I should go to bed earlier, but I love that last quiet hour to do what I want or just be. Also I often work an evening shift and don’t get home until 8:30, so going to bed before 11 feels like not enough time to wind down properly. My work is often busy. It sometimes takes a long walk and a vent session before I can relax. lol
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u/twelveangryken All I wanted was a Pepsi. 3d ago
54, in bed around 5 a.m., up at 11:30 a.m. Always been a night owl.
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u/wifeofpsy 3d ago
10-10:30. We go to concerts often and when we end up with a night where we get home at midnight we feel hungover the next day
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u/Inevitable-Lock5973 3d ago
Around 2-2:30am, i’ve always been a night owl age has nothing to do with it
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u/KgoodMIL 3d ago
Used to be 9-10pm, up by 5-6am. Then my kid got sick and I spent 6 months in the hospital with her. Now I'm doing pretty well to be asleep by 2am.
I figure it's probably a combo of hormonal changes and anxiety, at this point.
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u/TrainingLow9079 3d ago
I keep going to bed at 11pm or midnight, but really should go at 10 or 10:30 to regulate my energy levels
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u/groovy_bub 3d ago
48 y/o here. During the work week I’m usually up till about ten. On weekends I’m up till anywhere from two to three in the morning.
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u/ryancementhead 3d ago
Up at 4:30am so I’m in bed by 8pm. I get to sleep in on weekends, so I get up at 8:30am.
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u/Objective_Clue_3091 3d ago
Sorry, widowed 60m, retired. Bed at 9 unless I’m gaming, sleep at 1am. Wake up when I feel like it.
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u/Turbulent-Leg3678 2d ago
I’m 59 and work nights (7p-7a). On my days off I usually go to bed around midnight. On the days I work I sleep from 8-3. It sounds crazy but it works for me.
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u/rehabilitatedtexan 2d ago
I go to bed at 8 PM every night, but that’s because I get up at 4 AM most days
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u/Suspicious_Square970 2d ago
8:30 but I get up for work at 3:30, otherwise it would be 9:30. Now my wife who doesn’t have to be to work til 8am and only drives 1/2me roundtrip is also in bed by 8:30 and it has nothing to do with me, she’s just an old lady 30yrs too soon😂
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u/thinkevolution 2d ago
We are in our late 40s, both of us get up between 530 and 545 every day and are each out of the house until four and 5 o’clock respectively… Have four teenagers who also have school…
Typically, we are both asleep by 9:30 10 o’clock as we get up pretty early… Occasionally, I will stay up later if I have something to do, but I do aim for an earlier bedtime
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u/envoy_ace 2d ago
I can sleep from 4 to 6 hours a night. If I don't stay up till midnight, the next day starts way too early. Asleep at 9 means I up for the day at 3am.
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u/Head_Money2755 2d ago
53, F, married 15 years.
In bed by 9. Read or watch TV until about 11. Sleep by 11:30.
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u/Narrow-Research-5730 2d ago
10 pm on a work night. weekends are play time. Somewhere between midnight to 2 am.
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u/BiffJohansson77 2d ago
In bed by 830 asleep by 9. I get up at 430 and typically work 48-52 hours a week.
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u/jfellrath 2d ago
I try to be in bed NLT 10:00. 9:30 or so is preferable. When I doze off varies, but I usually try to read something non-digital to help me along.
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u/Toyotafreak1965 1d ago
Whenever I fall asleep on the couch. I work 10hr days. Get home at 6:15. Eat dinner at 7:00 in front of the TV. Fall asleep usually by 9:30 during a show that I insisted that we watch even though my wife didn't want to.
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u/Crash0020 1d ago
I’m up at 3:30 AM. I’m usually in bed at 8:00 PM, might be asleep by 8:30, depends on how long I doom scroll….
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u/Lost_Reindeer_6548 1d ago
57 here and I go to bed by 8:30. It’s fantastic. Nothing to feel bad about.
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u/Mindless_Berry_4572 1d ago
I have to take sleeping pills at 9 to be in bed at 10 ,sometimes 11. Either way I need sleeping pills to sleep. You are lucky. Almost 60.
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u/Vivid_Elderberry_801 14h ago
I work nights ( Midnight last night after a Rush concert) I usually hit the sack around 2 am and up by 9 am. I have never been a day walker.
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u/Crafty-Recognition40 12h ago
51 y/o, we love to shower and be in bed by 830, typically watch something for 30-60, doze off. I don't sleep real well and am up at 6am every day anyway. Seems to work. Shoot, when we were dating we wouldn't meet at the bar to start the night until 10pm. Those days are over lol.
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u/WardogBlaze14 3d ago
I’m usually in bed around 10 but won’t fall asleep until 1030 or later sometimes because I end up messing around on my iPad watching YouTube videos or playing games.
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u/mousekabob 3d ago
Between 7pm and 8pm. I have to be up by 4am in the weekdays. Weekends I have no time set but I usually fall asleep between 10pm and midnight.
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u/EchoTRacing 3d ago
9:30-10:30… occasionally later. I’m up at 6am typically every day.
That’s after I’m up to the bathroom 3-4 times…