As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am not, never have been, and never will be a morning person. If left to my own devices, my body would prefer to sleep until the mid-to-late afternoon, crank all night, and go to sleep in the wee hours (usually around 5 a.m.). Where I am in the world makes no difference. I've lived in Europe; I've lived in Southeast Asia; I've lived in all 4 times zones in the continental USA. In each and every place, I am a night owl when left to my own devices.
However, I have taught my body to adapt to the "normal," "9 to 5" world, if for no other reason than to function within it. Even so, there are some adjustments my body simply will not make--the most irritating of which is the adjustment to Daylight Savings Time. Bad enough that we have to have DST at all. Worse, that our powers that be have extended it to cover nearly 10 months of the year. If I have to live and function in the "9 to 5" world, my body insists that it at least coordinate with the changes of season throughout the year.
As of September 21, the first day of fall this year, my body went off DST. My sleeping patterns are now abiding by Central Standard Time, even though DST still has over a month more to run. This is messing seriously with my ability to adjust my routines to the demands of the clock. I am running an hour behind at all times. Changing time zones wouldn't help, either, as my body is merely complying with the signals of the rising and setting sun, no matter what the clock says.
The only good thing about Daylight Savings Time is going off it. I'm just not sure I can cope until the clock and the calendar revert to my circadian rhythms.
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