Sounds like you're exactly like me -- if so, then probably nothing will work. You're options are: 1) Be out of sync with everyone else, or 2) Feel half dead throughout the day.
I stumbled across an illuminating graph on the trends page of my Google Web History: http://imgur.com/Or18c
I've got that 3 am to noon gap, just like the OP describes. I used to think I was on a 25+ hour cycle, but now I'm thinking I just generally like to go to sleep late. If something grabs my attention and I end up staying awake a few hours later than usual, the sun comes up and that makes it harder to go to sleep... thus leading to what seems like a > 24 hour sleep/wake cycle.
Exposure to sunlight seems to help somewhat.
Maybe consulting a professional would be a good idea. Prescription drugs. I never cared enough to go that far.
I have the same problem. I can stay up until 8am no problem working on something moderately interesting, but I can't go to bed early and wake up at 8am if my life depends on it. I think this is a genetic thing so it's not a simple change, like all the early risers like to claim. All my life people said "when you are older, you will start waking up earlier"--they said this about college when I was in high school, about work when i was in college, etc. Well I'm nearly 30 and it hasn't happened yet. If anything, I want to sleep in even later than when I was younger.
I'm lucky to work at a company that isn't retarded--I can show up at noon and as long as I get my shit done, they don't care and I don't feel like a slacker. However, waking up at 10 is still hard, and I drink about 2 cups of coffee a day to cope. My last job I had to be there at 8am sharp--I worked there 2 years and wasn't much more than a zombie with computer skills. Not worth it if you ask me, which sort of, you (by you I mean OP) did.
If you are in good health, try fasting for a a week or so. I know, it sounds crazy, and everyone tells you that you must eat 3 meals a day, or else you'll die of malnutrition.
Turns out that you can go about 40 days without food and sustain no irreversible damage (although only 1-2 days without water). The first two days are often hard, but that's because you're experiencing carb withdrawal symptoms (yes, you ARE addicted to carbs). Afterwards, you just don't think of food at all until at some point (in my experience, 7 to 30 days later), all of a sudden you can think of nothing but food - THIS IS HUNGER. what most people call hunger is appetite or carb additiction.
And each and every time I did this (would be around 10 now), it fixed my sleep schedule for a few months afterwards.
NOTE: This is not medical or nurtitional advice. Please research this yourself and consider getting advice for a medical professional.
I stumbled across an illuminating graph on the trends page of my Google Web History: http://imgur.com/Or18c
I've got that 3 am to noon gap, just like the OP describes. I used to think I was on a 25+ hour cycle, but now I'm thinking I just generally like to go to sleep late. If something grabs my attention and I end up staying awake a few hours later than usual, the sun comes up and that makes it harder to go to sleep... thus leading to what seems like a > 24 hour sleep/wake cycle.
Exposure to sunlight seems to help somewhat.
Maybe consulting a professional would be a good idea. Prescription drugs. I never cared enough to go that far.