When I was in California, I would wake up pretty reliably around 7am. I always wondered what my trigger was for that, whether I unconsciously checked the clock or there was a circadian rhythm thing going or the garbage truck coming by or what.
Now that I’m in New York, I think I have the answer – it’s the light level. I’ve been consistently waking up at 6am here, which is driving me a bit nuts, because that’s way too early. But I think the light levels at 6am here are similar to those in California at 7am, since New York is towards the eastern edge of its time zone, and California is towards the western edge. And my apartment, while it has blinds, still has ambient light.
We all knew I was solar powered, but this is ridiculous.
I’ll have to figure out how to retrain myself. Or make myself go to bed earlier, I suppose.
You’re also 700 miles further north, which means the day is longer than it is in California (now that it’s spring, anyway), and I think that also contributes to an earlier sunrise.
I have the opposite problem in Austin, which is at the western edge of its timezone, compared to Boston. I have a really hard time getting out of bed by 8, despite having lots of windows in my bedroom. I think while Beemer’s comment about north/south is slightly relevant at other times of the year, the week before and after the equinox shouldn’t really demonstrate that difference.
Nice theory, but sunrise this morning in San Francisco was only 15 minutes later than in NYC (6:08 vs. 5:53). Perhaps your new place just faces more Southeastward?