afuna: Cat under a blanket. Text: "Cats are just little people with Fur and Fangs" (Default)
[personal profile] afuna
Rather unscientific survey of my sleeping habits leads me to conclude that planning to sleep by midnight is really, really, good for me at work.


After the end of vacation, I sort of promised to myself that I would be trying to get to bed by midnight. So the entire first week, I aimed to be asleep by midnight, and initially hit my target, though near the end of the week, it started slipping to half past midnight, then to just a bit past one. (That's okay: most of the time, I plan to sleep by two, and manage to actually get to bed around three to four.)

I started noticing subtle changes in myself: I was feeling more energetic, I had more focus. I was feeling more well-rested and productive throughout the day, rather than being sluggish in the morning, then peaking at night just before I needed to head to bed (so I could wake up at an office-ish hour the next day). I stopped being late! It was kinda boring, but I think that it could have gotten better once I was fully adjusted (I was spending some energy adjusting that would eventually go towards doing stuff other than sleeping or preparing for sleep).

The next week, entirely unplanned, I ended up going to bed at three, four, five-thirty, seven in the morning. It started because I thought I could give myself a bit of leeway and sleep just a bit later during the weekend...

BIG MISTAKE.

With only a couple of hours of sleep in me, I started noticing a lot of unsubtle changes -- complete lack of focus, headaches, more irritable, less engaged. Much as I hate to say it, also less productive.

It's rather frustrating, since I've hit the zone a lot of times in the 2am-4am range, but either my sleep cycle has changed, or it's that I'm just not getting enough hours of sleep, period, because of my office schedule.



Either way, I'm going to be aiming for midnight again, and hopefully after the adjustment period, I'll... I dunno?

I'm going to miss the evening crowd in IRC, but I may be able to catch some of the later sleepers or early wakers, still! (I can but hope *g* Life without friendly conversation is boring.)

Date: 2010-01-18 04:29 pm (UTC)
ursamajor: people on the beach watching the ocean (Default)
From: [personal profile] ursamajor
I know what you mean *sigh* My sleep needs should really have me off IRC and such no later than midnight, and probably earlier with some schedule and lifestyle changes I'm contemplating. But it always feels like people are just starting to flow in and conversate right when I have to go to bed, and I'm in one of those timezones that I actually share with other people. Shouldn't more of them be on earlier? ;)

It's midnight your time, you better be asleep! And I'll try to be better about slipping on in the mornings :)

Date: 2010-01-18 11:32 am (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
I should really do this kind of thing, too. (Only your "midnight" is my "9 pm", I think.)

Date: 2010-01-18 02:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] iruka11.livejournal.com
true...

nung after ng ondoy wala kami sa bahay so nothing to do at night... ended up sleeping before 12... sarap ng feeling... laging refreshed sa umaga... no need for coffee

ohw, btw

Date: 2010-01-21 09:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] homeworldfan829.livejournal.com
a book i read mentioned one hour of sleep from 6 to before midnight is worth twice sleep after midnight....