The whole house is silent, with no one awake to bother you. Your earbuds are in and you’re doing some last-minute homework as the silver moon shines outside your window. Simply put, the vibes are immaculate. 

   The comfort in knowing that the only thing you have left to do is to go to bed and drift off to sleep is unbeatable, and a stark contrast to morning time. 

   In the mornings, you wake up groggy, and are immediately confronted with the dreadful reality that you have a whole entire day to get through, which can involve stressful tests, unwanted social interaction, and the expectation to actually be productive. 

   Now don’t get me wrong, daytime, and maybe even morning time, can be enjoyable. For those who thrive on social interaction and feeling like they have things to accomplish, being a morning person may be more suitable. However, even for the most purposeful and motivated of morning people, nighttime can also be an enjoyable time of day.    

   Contrary to popular belief, nighttime isn’t only good for sleeping and being lazy; you can be purposeful and productive at night too. 

   In fact, for many of us night owls, nighttime is the only time during the day when we feel productive. Personally, after trudging through the hard morning and getting through everything the day has thrown at me, I need to let my brain and body marinate for a few hours, at least until the sky outside is pitch black, to get back to being productive. 

   Not to mention, all the things you can do during the day you can do at night, only a thousand times better. The calmer atmosphere provides mental clarity and uninterrupted time to slow down, relax, and ponder. Whether you’re having a late night study session or want to partake in a social activity or hobby, the nighttime ambience allows all of your daytime responsibilities and woes to melt away, allowing you to better focus on (and fully enjoy) whatever it is that you’re doing. As junior Jeylah Valdes puts it, “I feel like it’s the best time to binge watch shows in peace, because there’s no interruptions.”

   Think about it this way: how often do you hear the phrase “late night conversations”? There’s just something about nighttime that makes you want to fall into deep thought/conversation, without a worry in the world.

      In contrast, during the day, your time is interrupted– no, stolen– by expectations, responsibilities, and people telling you what to do, whether that be your teachers, your parents, or your peers. Nothing can beat the peace and tranquility that comes with nighttime; it serves as an escape for me, and so many others, where I don’t have to worry about dealing with other people and my responsibilities. Junior Natalia Montgomery agrees, saying she’s a night owl too “because [she] often feel[s] it is the only time [she] get[s] to [her]self and to [her] hobbies without worrying about school and other things like that.”              

   I know staying up late isn’t for everyone, but you should try it out at least once in your life and see how you like it; you may be pleasantly surprised. And the next time you wake up to a busy day you’re absolutely dreading getting through, maybe think of why night owls are night owls. We may not run on the same schedule as the rest of the world does, but we certainly enjoy the peace, quiet, and comfort that comes with it.

   As PPCHS is back in the groove of in-person learning, we meet again with 6 A.M. wake up calls — blaring alarm clocks, having to leave the coziness of your bed, and facing the rush of getting to school on time. While the time is sooner than most prefer, the pleasing parts of it always tend to be overlooked: the calm silence, the warm air that hugs you, the picture-perfect sky with brushes of color, and the overall serenity of a new day ahead. For some, it may be easier to stay up later rather than wake up earlier, but at what cost? In today’s day and age, night owls actually have it worse, while the early birds rise and continue to shine. 

   When you wake up bright and early, the ultimate feeling of having more time in your day opens the door for more productivity. Sure, you may think you’re doing yourself a favor if you’re a night owl who sleeps in — but that “favor” is actually waking up to less hours for you to make useful. After all, you can only do so much until you eventually lose focus and go back to bed again. Sleeping in can be very well-deserved and refreshing, especially for high school students. But by making it a point to rise with the sun, you can achieve everything you need throughout the day, which delivers the same serotonin. 

   For senior and night owl Emily Idiarte, her mind works better at night. Constant distractions in her morning routine means the productive part of her day actually starts at around 1 to 2 P.M.          Junior Meggan Martin, however, is just one person who feels more motivated as a morning person. “Waking up early makes me feel 10 times more productive than if I were to wake up at 11:30,” she says. Her ability to easily focus in the mornings makes her a prime example of the saying, “the early bird gets the worm.”

   When it comes to school in particular, waking up earlier plays a significant role in making you feel much more energized and ready to learn. The natural early birds are lucky enough to appreciate their additional time that takes away any sense of rush, allowing for more to be done. Meggan, who wakes up at 5:30 A.M., sometimes even has the chance to work out before heading to school.

   For sophomore Valeria Mesa, waking up at 4:45 A.M. on weekdays was actually more helpful than she thought it would be. “I can take longer showers, eat a better breakfast… I have time to leave my room organized before I leave in the morning,” she explains. Chances are, the students who stay up and wake up later don’t have time to do any of these, let alone leave the house with a somewhat-full stomach. Even creating the time to do one of these things makes for a more active and efficient day.

   In the age group of highschool students, it’s common to sleep late most of the time, whether it be because your brain is more awake at night or because you have the freedom to do whatever you want at that time. It may seem unappealing to always wake up early, but it’s better to get a headstart on your day rather than lose time to other things. Once you wake up earlier and, in turn, fall asleep earlier, you’re already in the beneficial cycle of a morning person. You rise with the sun, go down with it, and you always shine with it.