Throughout most of history, night-time was a lot darker. It was very very dark. In the middle ages there was a morality tale about a man who waited for his girlfriend to come to him one night (his parents were, to say the least, not fond of the girl), so he stayed up; and when he heard something moving, he reached towards it. It was a dog, and the dog bit his hand. The man's soul burned with anger; so, the next time he heard something moving; he reached for his sword and hacked at it until it stopped moving. To his sorrow, it was actually his girlfriend. Only the existence of a darkness much more complete and black than anything we can experience today would make this tale even remotely plausible to an audience.
There were no streetlights and light pollution. It, also, was very cold outside, there weren't modern heating systems. And, without cars, trains, plains, and the like, night-time was quiet.
To understand how cold it was outside, go outside on a night. That's why people stayed inside at night and went to sleep. Also, beds weren't as easy to get as they are now, so people generally shared beds (it's not at all gay for two men to share a bed back then; you'd understand if you knew how frigging cold it was. Also, men kissed each other and hugged each other, and that was not at all gay, either).
So, with people sharing beds, it was frigging irritating for everyone else when you would get up, because look, in a world without cars and crap to make all this frigging noise at night, night-time was basically silent; and you stepping on the floor is going to sound like a jet engine taking off, and you're going to wake everyone up, you fool! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!
Also, it was, as I said, pretty frigging dark; so you'd have to light a candle or a torch, which would be blinding and bother all the neighbors.
Nowadays, we have these night-clubs and heated, lighted, loud buildings where night is pretty much day; and we sleep through the sounds of trucks and planes and trains and cars. Night is no longer night.
It used to be that Night was silent, and any noise would wake people; but now, the world is screaming. How do you think that effects the brain, and the ability to sleep?
Our bodies are made to GO TO BED at night, and STAY IN BED. Night-time is supposed to be cold, dark, and silent; so you can imagine your fears with less distraction and lay awake with your insecurities and anxieties and all the horrors your mind can torment you with. There are monsters under the bed, in the closet, and as a child, you are wise enough to be afraid of the dark. That is good. If you're afraid of the dark, you're more likely to STAY IN YOUR GOSH-DARN BED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. All the childhood fears at night-time are useful that way.
Don't stay up when the sun goes down, YOU ARE MADE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT-TIME. Your body is made to not sleep in the day-time, to only sleep in silence, cold, and darkness. But now we have these energy drinks and coffee and junk like that to mess around with your diurnal cycle.
In conclusion, NIGHT TIME IS BED-TIME. GOT IT. NOW GO TO BED. AND STAY IN BED.
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i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis