by Migs Mosuela

Illustration by: LDR + KidIllus

If you’re looking for an article that explains why people stay up at night doing all sorts of stuff, then I’m sorry to tell you that you’ve found the wrong article. In fact, I’m writing this article to ask a very mind-boggling, seemingly-mysterious question: Why do people stay up late at night? What do they do?

Although I’m not one to talk (since I’m a night owl that likes binging on articles, books, and films), I would bet that a lot of people stay up way past their bedtimes. Heck, you might be reading this late at night! (I’m really not one to talk, since I’m writing this at 1am. Crazy, right?)

But since you’re here, you might be wondering where people spend the time they were supposed to use for sleeping. Either maybe you’re someone looking for something to do late at night, or maybe you just want to entertain yourself to look for where you are in this list. Let’s call it a ‘trip’, if you may.

Whatever may be the case, the team has come up with a list that you maybe relate with. Read along, and try not to make your eye bags heavier.

Binge Watching

Many people fall victim to late-night binge watching. Whether it be on the bed or the couch, with a popcorn tub or pizza slices in hand, alone or with somebody, movies or YouTube videos, people like doing this kind of stuff. Is it for satisfaction? For education? For entertainment after a long day? To finish a movie you started around 9pm just to see how it ends even though you’re extremely sleepy and have things to do the next morning?

We may never know unless we try it for ourselves.

Food Trip

I don’t know about you, but one good reason to stay up in the night is to look for food worth eating while appreciating the stillness and the quiet of the night. It may be Kuya still selling chicken skin before closing shop, or that convenience store Siopao you’ve never tasted before. It might be making a sandwich with all the leftovers in the fridge, or popping in a bag of your favorite chips. A big bonus is having friends along, and sharing that good, sumptuous food over a conversation with your friend/s.

Social Media Lurking

If you’re laying down in your bed with your phone in hand, chances are that you’re scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Might happen to be your favorite pastime before falling asleep: whether it’s a celebrity or someone you personally celebrate, you check their posts to see how they’re doing in life… or to see which memes they’ve reposted on their own walls. (Look for friends with good memes. Give yourself a good time!)

The “Creativity Sprees”

Some of the people that you may know are very aware of how they function: as a survivor, as a person, and as a creative. Although most of us function and use the daylight in our work, some people admit that they work better late at night: it may seem irresponsible, but they know that they function this way and are more productive with their work compared to the 14 hours they spend in a normal day.

Maybe you’re like that! Where you feel a certain “rush” when you create late at night, or you find yourself more productive when you try to think of ideas that would take you closer to where you want to go.

Deep Talks

Sometimes, the night allures the most interesting of conversations. Whether it may be talking to a friend, talking to your crush, or just simply thinking and realizing things to yourself, you may find yourself deep into the “conversation.” Think about it as a small steps to self-awareness and awareness to the people talking to you… possibly growing even more aware of the world we live in! It’s pretty awesome.

“So what makes doing all of these late at night special?”, you may be asking. What I can only tell you from this point is to try it. Experience is so subjective that only you can interpret and cherish it. You may think that this is such a softie’s article, but being aware of the little stuff makes you more appreciative of the bigger things. It just so happens that we’re talking about late night stuff, but this can happen on a daily basis – whether it’s a morning thing or a night activity.

So whatever sentiment you may have built for nighttime, cherish it. Feel it. Go crazy and enjoy.