11 March 2005
I've come to a conclusion.
[I know it's shocking and scary and I'm sorry to spring it on you all like this, but it was such a momentous thing that I felt I had to share.]
My conclusion is thus:
Being off work is bad for my health.
[No, you don't need to adjust your monitor. Yes, I did really say that.]
"But why?", I hear you cry.
[only not really, because you're all asleep, which, as you'll see in a minute, is my point]
It's simple really.
It's 5.11 am.
I am awake.
I shouldn't be. I don't want to be.
The trouble is that my body clock seems to live on the West coast of the US (I think it's partying down in San Francisco, but I'm not sure, because the rotten thing stopped sending postcards), all of which would be well and good, well, if I actually lived there.
Only I don't. I live in London. Which is 8 hours behind.
When I'm working, I can almost force my body clock to switch to London time and stay there, but if I take more than two days off, it rebels and heads off to warmer climes and so here I am.
Exhausted. Needing to sleep, but not able to.
I wouldn't mind so much if I could use this time for productive things, but apparently I can't, because I've sat with a movable type window open for the last 5 hours attempting to do some kind of write up to explain why it took me 15 months to properly redesign this site and how I did it, and I've got all of 5 paragraphs and they're all nonsense.
It wouldn't be such a big deal if I could sleep all day tomorrow, but I can't because I only have a half day holiday tomorrow because there was a meeting organised that I should really be at work for and it had been organised since before I had to re-arrange my holiday time.
Somehow, I don't think I'm going to be at my best.
Anyone got a good cure for insomnia?
Have you tried walking away from MT and lying down in bed with your eyes shut? Just a thought . . .
When I can't sleep I find distracting my brain with a good book or the radio helps plenty. As does munching on raw carrots, strangely enough. And no euphamism intended. Much.
Failing that, there's always the option of moving to San Fransisco . . .
You mean... turn off the computer?!?
Yeah OK, I know I'm always the anal one but we're 8 hours AHEAD of San Francisco. No wonder you can't sleep :-)
Otherwise, lots of sex apparently.
Which just goes to show exactly how off my head from lack of sleep I was (and still am) :)
Looks like you have the same illness as myself, you are part of the Eastern Standard Tribe.
Just accept that you are a night owl, and will therefore be buggered in doing anything other than nightwork.
I think it's easier to stay awake throughout the night, and sleep the following night, with perhaps a 15 minute nap at some point during the day (only 15 mins mind you, longer than that and it'll break you).
So sleeping for about four hours from just before six to just after ten when the phone rang was probably not a good idea then?
I believe they've started therapy classes up and down the country for this kind of thing.
"OK, now take a deep breath"
"When you're ready - take your time, take your time - now select Start... Shut Down*"
* Or whatever the Mac equivalent is.. File > Quit?
whats going on here then? i turn my back for a minute and everything looks different! a bold design! excellent. i like boldness.
i think sleeplessness is a london malaise, we are all under physchological attack by someone or other. My unwanted 3rd flatmate... But dont let me get started on that..
i found changing my eating habits helps a bit, not eating late and eating as small as poss in the evenings. But i still have shitty sleep often.
Interestingly i also found thai bo very theraputic - its a kind of "boxercise" type thing, -i think all the kicking and punching kinda works out some pent up frustration. I usually find imagining kicking the arse of afforementioned flatmate helps alot...
:)
While I'm not usually insomniac, my body has two modes. Or maybe I'm really two separate people.
WORK: Up at 6am, does all his best work before about 2pm. Won't lift a finger afternoon or evening.
NOT WORK: Up after 10am, can't be arsed to do anything before about 3, brain sparks into life at about 9pm.
When "not work" collides with "work", I'm not a pretty sight.
... the online home and (not very) alter(ed)-ego of Ann McMeekin, a recently freelance Web Accessibility Consultant.
... passionate about many things, most of which will turn up on this site at some time or other.
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