25-27 is about right for me. When left on my own without responsibilities, such as back in my college days, my wakefulness hours would slowly rotate through the day/night. Nowadays, I still rotate a little when I have time off, only to have to painfully snap back when the time off is over— whether this is a weekend, a three day weekend, or actual vacation time.

And advice given to always keep the same sleep schedule whether you’re working or not? Fuck that. Fuck that with a red hot poker. Keeping my work schedule is strain— and strain needs relief sometimes. That “steady sleep cycle” advice is for other people. Genuinely, I mean that. Some people thrive under those circumstances. I don’t.