Time is Not On My Side
It's 3:11 a.m., and I don't know why I'm still up. Even if I go to bed now, I have to wake up in approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes to get to work on time.
Why do I do this to myself? I had every intention of going to sleep at around midnight -- still late for most people, but quite early for me. Do I have insomnia? Most likely I just need some quiet time before I go to sleep. I like being up when no one else is. I like going to the store in the middle of the night. And I like latenight online shopping. I dunno what it is, really. I do know that for me, nighttime is the right time. Here's what I've done with my night since 9:15 p.m.:
- 9:15-10:15 -- Went to the gym and walked a couple of miles
- 10:00-11:00 -- Watched "Project Runway"
- 10:10-11:00 -- Folded and put away clothes
- 11:00-11:45 -- Vaccumed the apartment (minus Lauren's room)
- 11:45-12:15 -- Cleaned the carpet stains
- 12:16-12:53 -- Unclogged the drain in my bathtub
- 12:55-1:22 -- Went to Kroger to buy a hair catcher
- 1:25-2:25 -- Read e-mail and blogs
- 2:25-3:05 -- Went to Eskimo Joe's Web site and thought about buying brand t-shirts; reminisced about my childhood by then going to the OSU merchandise section
- 3:05-3:11 -- Bought Proactiv, via Skype
- 3:11-whenever -- am now blogging
I very distinctly remember the night I heard that a particular woman only got 4 hours of sleep a night. I was in the 6th grade. My parents were watching "60 Minutes" in the family room, and I was laying on the brown carpet, face-down, listening to the show as well. Some news anchor was talking about a woman who spent a lot of time doing charity work -- so much that she usually only got about 4 hours of sleep a night. "Oh my gosh," I thought. "That's crazy!!!"
Lo and behold, 12 years later, I am that woman getting about 4 hours of sleep a night (minus the charity work). What happened? Every night, I seem like I have a race with the clock. What can happen faster -- the clock striking 1 a.m. or me getting in bed?
And with that, good night, folks. My eyes hurt and my arms ache (though my mind is racing with thoughts and memories and ideas and frustrations and anxiety). Adieu, adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow. :(
Thing I'm thankful for: my new Logitech microphone.
posted by Sara @ 1:41 AM
7 Comments:
Sara, you and your brother... I know that you are going to argue with me, but people 16-65 should be getting 6-9 hours of sleep a night. Your body needs that time to rejuvinate. I don't know why you and your brother stay up so late. I am mostly talking about your brother. I don't live with you.
Do you want to get more sleep? Don't you know the health benefits with sleeping regularly and getting enough?
Staying up late for me is mostly about the quiet time. When I'm with people, I talk uncontrollably. I need to "work" where I'm not distracted by others. My roommates are asleep late at night so that's when I can concentrate better.
I like the time around 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. the best. I believe that those are the hours I am most creative (again, it might be because of the silence or the pressure of the next day approaching -- so there's a limited time frame -- a procrastinators main motivation). Once I start hearing the birds chirping outside, I know the sun's about to rise. That's when I crawl into my cloud of a bed, look at the moon and stars, and say goodnight. Maybe I just need to try and change my sleeping habits/work patterns. That's no easy task, though.
I feel ya, girls. I do my best thinking/writing/eating/watching t.v. late at night and into the morning. I just love those hours. It's almost like a thunderstorm -- there's more electric energy or something. Does that sound too new age-y?
Anyway, I also do not have to get up that early, and I don't have a 9-5 job. So it works out pretty well. But yeah, Sara, get some sleep, would ya? :)
Hm, Jacki -- you don't know me as well as you think. I would never argue that people don't need anywhere between 6-9 hours of sleep. In fact, just as you tend to point toward nutrition for a lot of ailments, I point toward lack of sleep. That and exercise are some of the first things I think about when I try to get healthy.
I know that sleep is hugely important. But it's very difficult for me to get enough, and it's a struggle for me every night. But you know what they say -- the first step to fixing a problem is recognizing it . . . (Although I've been working on this problem since I was in the 5th grade.)
I agree with you there Sa! To sleep and excercise I would add water and then you are pretty set! Keep those consistant and plentiful... bada freaking bing!
Side Note: The day you posted this post I was extremely irritated specifically with Brooks because he stayed up until 4:30am the same night. I need to funnel my frustration into love. Ya we'll see.
Sara,
I think it is a genetic thing. My brothers and I are the same way! Melissa is except when she's pregnant.
I wonder if our dads stayed up late pinching each other. Hmmm....
This post strikes deep! I am always wondering why I can't shut off my mind at night. And I believe I now have th answer. I too thought it might be genetic b/c many in my family struggle with it, but now I don't believe sleep depravation nor insomnia is the genetic trait that plagues my family it is the excitement and value of learning. I believe the ability to stay up into the wee hours of the night is learned.
My Explanation:
During my day I feel the urge to help any and all people. I feel it is necessary to help in any way possible if someone asks. Not only that but if I hear someone needs help in an area where I can provide assistance I just can't help myself! Clients keep me busy as well. So my days get crazy full of stuff I had never intended to do. I run around all day putting out fires! When night comes I am tired and need a break; here comes the clincher. My favorite form of relaxation is daydreaming and learning about anything interesting, such as the open source CGI move movement Orange Open http://orange.blender.org/ movie project. So When everyone is asleep I crave relaxation time! Jacki is in bed all of my clients are in bed and I can just relax for hours. I look forward to those times when I can guiltlessly research anything I want!
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