Sleep deprivation! Such an easy thing to get into...such a difficult thing to get out of. I first learned of this its effects as an undergrad at UCSD--in fact, it got to the point where I almost found myself scientifically studying its effects, but anyway...
I'm sleep deprived, and trying hard to shake it. Easy, you say, just get some sleep. Heh heh heh, if only. Here are some contributing factors:
1) I'm a Nightowl - I tend to wake up mentally just before bedtime. This is often the most creative time of my day, and yet it's the time I most need to be mentally inactive.
2) My Room's Less-Than-Comfortable - You know something's wrong when it's easier to sleep on the living room couch than in your own bed...
3) My Schedule's Whacked - My schedule & the schedules of those around me are just not conducive to sleeping early. I've never been one to want to sleep when others are up having fun (or slaving over homework as the case may be). The worst offenders, however, are my two 'til-10PM classes. Come home and go to sleep? Yeah right!
4) I Just Don't Like Going to Sleep - Don't get me wrong: I LOVE sleeping--I just don't like going to sleep in the first place. It may sound strange, but at least part of it is an issue with losing control: somehow the idea of "losing consciousness" is less-than-appealing.
Another Thought
Maybe 8:30AM work shifts at Zemeckis are just too early. But on the same token, 3AM is just way to late to get to sleep. Ah well, such is the life of a grad student, I guess.
Posted by msteffen at November 17, 2004 01:02 PMsomething that helps me through these times-
don't feel like you have to fit into ANYONE ELSE'S schedule. By that, I mean, don't feel like "it's morning, I should wake up and do something" or "it's night, I should go to bed." Be true to yourself and what your body is telling you. I don't feel guilty about sleeping in when I know that I feel creative after midnight, and am usually up working late. And other times, it's reversed. I'm best early in the morning, and have to go to bed really early to compensate. And sometimes you just have to sleep in shifts throughout the day. =) Just listen to your body!
Posted by: kellee at November 17, 2004 01:56 PM
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