Hi again, everyone! How are you tonight?
I just finished lunch, it’s raining outside, and I have a bunch of articles to write. It’s afternoon in the Philippines. I’m glad I had enough sleep.
One of my busiest months ever was April 2015. I spent the month blogging every day, writing for Camp NaNoWriMo, and participating in NaPoWriMo. Doing all three gave me no more time for sleep. I can stay alive for four days without sleep, but I didn’t feel exactly alive. So what is it like to be extremely sleepless?
- Your head feels like it’s filled with water. Knocking on one side of your head feels like the knocks are being echoed by the other side of your head. For me, I had the additional, sleep-deprived aberration that was my ears making clicking sounds whenever I was chewing food.
- Not only do your eyes get dark circles around them, your eyesight also has dark shadows around it. When you look at the sky - even on a stormy day - your eyes hurt so much as if you’re looking at an extremely bright light. During my most sleepless days, I also had difficulty keeping my eyes open in spite of remaining awake.
- When you’re standing, the ground is still, but you feel like you’re standing on a boat that is floating on strong waves. I learned to master my balance despite always being in my mental “boat.”
- Different people show different symptoms for lack of sleep. Most people get a bad temper. For me, I laughed way too much when I was sleepless.
These are the reasons why I stopped staying up late. Losing sleep is a habit that is hard to break, though. I had become accustomed to shaking off my sleepiness whenever I felt sleepy. I still tend to do it these days. You just need a bunch of health articles that advise on how to have good sleep and a few tricks you’ll learn on your own.
Reader’s Digest advised that you must avoid arguments before you sleep. The advice works for me because I spend the hours after an argument thinking over and over again all the things I could have said to win the argument. Arguing at night can be one of the ultimate ways to stay awake.
To avoid arguments at home, I usually sit in front of my computer and look busy. Here’s a secret I’ll share with you: I’m actually not doing anything on my computer, I’m just looking busy. I have a policy to not communicate with anyone online after 10pm.
In the past, my online communications that were done after 10pm only ended up in arguments. During those times when no one was online, I only ended up posting things I regretted posting. Those posts kept me awake for the next months, worrying about the catastrophes they might bring.
I just happen to have no choice but to stare at a computer screen at night, but most health articles on insomnia actually advise that you must stay away from technology one hour before you sleep. They say the screen makes us think it’s still day. The way how the internet seems to never sleep also makes us lose track of time, making us forget it’s already night.
Stay away from your computer before sleeping tonight and make sure you get enough sleep. Sweet dreams!
Photo credit: Pixabay