Why are tech people more inclined to be the people awake at 3AM?

I’m not at all a techie, but am usually up. I’m also in Cali, so it’s only midnightish here.

My night owl tendencies are well documented here, but I would not consider myself a tech person.

I would guess that screen/light stimulation has a good bit to do with it.

We’re up running tests/updating the server/trying to fix the bugs on the site.

I’m usually lay in my bed at 3am, awake… Then I have nothing to do, so I grab my wireless keyboard at mouse and just check Fluther etc, then I fall to sleep. :-)

I have vacation anyway… :-)

Hmmm… Perhaps that tech people aren’t more awake but just more online? :)

Television gets boring at late hours, book reading (unless it’s something really great) isn’t usually enough to keep you awake, and as everyone else falls asleep it’s the natural thing for “non-tech” people to do. So they sleep.

However, being connected to the internet, and having the ability to always interact with others no matter what time it is, always have something to do, something to read, means that there is less reason for someone “tech-inclined” to sleep. They can be doing something.

In addition, the light and refreshing of computer monitors will trick the brain into believing sunrise is occurring, and stimulating your body to be awake when it’s stupid o’clock in the morning. (It’s a slippery slope.)

Best of luck with getting a good night’s rest.

Perhaps because there’s a high incidence of ADHD or Aspbergers among geeks, the night is their best chance to focus on something for hours at a stretch with relatively few interruptions.

xkcd

@ mirza, I was waiting for that strip to get posted

I agree, I don’t that there are an inordinate number of techies awake – non-techies are doing other things.

It’s all about willpower to go to bed. You could be doing something more interesting, but you will be more attractive tomorrow, and feel a hell of a lot better, if you go to sleep.

I am always up considerable past the 5am mark, check my twitter you’ll see! It’s terrible, I know but i think its these damn hypnotizing brainwashing machines that suck your eyes dry at night. I’ve actually been experimenting with clear uv filtering sunglasses & it helps quite a bit at times. I even forget that there on.