Yes, it may just be that I have the night owl gene, too. I know what you mean about your brain just waking up at 11:30. Mine does that as well. Does your husband have to shift between day and night work? I don't know how people manage that. I'd be a wreck.
It might not be a matter of recovering. Like I said I have been a night owl my whole life. So is my husband so when he's on shift it's really easy for me to fall into a comfortable daytime sleep pattern. It's 11.30 here and I feel like my brain is just now waking up.