it's the light...

recently, i've noticed that i keep waking up between 4:30 to 5:30 in the morning. and this happens seemingly irrespective of the time i go to sleep, strangely enough.

now, this is no bad thing: waking up early = getting to work early = less undertime deduction = more money on payday. the unfortunate side effect is that since i've noticed over time that i need at least 7 hours of sleep a night to be useful the next day, waking up that early means that by early afternoon i get drowsy and can't focus on mind-numbing hyperspeed 3D video tutorials that i need to get through if i'm to get a handle on the particle engine of our main 3D app.

so, pros and cons of waking early.

by way of backgrounder, the room in the makati apartment where i stay has a curious quality. once day breaks, the light outside never varies much in intensity (short of thunderstorms and the like) -- it's as if the time outside the frosted jalousies is stuck in a permanent twilight (even at high noon). i suppose it has to do with the room's windows facing the backyard of the neighbor where there's a rather massive mango tree that overhangs even their other neighbor's backyard. all in all, save for the afternoon heat, it's a room where one could literally sleep all day in that twilight.

now, usually, a light is left on in the stairwell for those nocturnal occasions to the downstairs bathroom to take a leak. added to that, i generally keep a light on in the room -- a 25-watt lamp with a hemispherical shroud whose opening i have facing the wall. it's a less-glaring effect than having the light wash on the floor (and i can see the bulb while lying in bed -- no good).

last night, by way of a test, i turned both lights off.

well, whaddya know. woke up at 8am. and got to work at 10, for an hour's deficit. ugh.

so it may be the light that makes waking up easier(?). tonight i'll leave the lights on, and tomorrow will tell.