I found this via one of my favorite miscellany sites: An article titled “How to Become an Early Riser.” It’s long, but here’s the closing bit:

So if you want to become an early riser (or just exert more control over your sleep patterns), then try this: Go to bed only when you’re too sleepy to stay up, and get up at a fixed time every morning.

Sounds reasonable. Only I’d change the second bit to “Get up when you wake” or “when you feel like it.” Or when you know your wife is making breakfast. Or maybe when your cat’s commentary takes on an urgent tone, or he sits there staring at you.

I usually turn in around 1:30AM, and rise around 8:30AM. That’s 7 hours by my math, plenty if you’re me. Of course, sometimes that’s more like 3AM to 9:30AM. 10AM is too late, makes me groggy all day. A short nap around Siesta Time (4ish) is nice, but most of the time I just lie down on the couch with the puggie for a little while. This usually leads to a short nap, but that’s usually right when our Mailman delivers, and the little guy (who has been known to bark at me, if I’m wearing something different) unloads. Such as he does. And that’s no way to wake from a nap, let me tell you. So there. What?