Bloggers' sleep deprivation
Finding the time to develop a blog is a big hurdle for the new blogger. I decided to use the time after 9:00pm to devote to this blog because I tend to function creatively at night. With blogging comes business opportunities, and I started chopping off sleep hours from 7-8 hours per night down to about 6 on average. I also began to take a 15 minute nap in the afternoon, which I realized I could do quite easily, even sitting upright, like a narcoleptic.
At first, this change of lifestyle made me wonder about adverse health effects, but I realized the shorter sleep cycle did two things consistently: 1) I could fall asleep within 10 minutes of hitting the sack, and 2) I slept uninterrupted and deeper for at least five hours. Today's New York Times Magazine discusses the culture of sleep and how the 8-hours of sleep paradigm may not be the most natural. These articles personal development blogger Steve Pavlina wrote about sleep also put me at ease that my new regimen is on the right track:
- How to become an early riser
- Regimen is to go to bed when you're sleepy but wake up at the same
time each morning... soon your natural sleep rhythm kicks in and it will probably be shorter than you expected.
- Polyphasic sleep
- Regimen is to take 20-30 minute naps every four hours six times per
day, so the sleep times might be 2:00am, 6:00am, 10:00am, 2:00pm,
6:00pm, 10:00pm. Wildly impractical but Pavlina did this for six months
and chronicled it in mesmerizing fashion on his blog.
I've flagged the NYT article for reading and am anxious to do so today, probably right before or after I nap.
Reply to this
Yes, I admit my kids did cure my insomniac tendencies and turned me into a morning person. Yet, now, I'm a night person and a morning person, going to bed at 12:30 and awaking at 6:30. I missed meeting you over at NAR last week, Michael... but i did get my 6 hours in Las Vegas...
Reply to this
Fortunately or unfortunately, my NAR convention duties largely leave me in a suite in meetings all day. I did spend about 15 minutes with Joel Burslem and Jessica Swesey but they're about the only bloggers I saw. I will be at Inman in NY and hope to meet more bloggers there.
Reply to this
About 10 years a go I stopped using an alarm clock. The world did not come to an end. I go to bed when I am tired but try not to stay up past midnight. I wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 AM and will occasionally sleep until 6:00 AM. It has worked well for me for many years. . . blogging has had no impact on my sleep schedule but has changed my work habits. I work best in the early AM so that is when I do most of my writing.
Reply to this
What a great topic! I look forward to reading more comments because I thought I was going down an obsessive path since starting to blog about 3 months ago. I don't have a pattern yet other than working on the blog both early a.m. and late at night - not every day. I definitely sleep less and think I'm doing okay...please somebody tell me if I go over the deep end and don't know it...
Reply to this
Marian, you'll soon find that being online becomes the normal state of affairs and then you'll be ready for >>> in Korea, a boot camp for web obsession...
Reply to this
Great post, Pat! As a night-person I'm usually blogging late into the evening hours, around 11:30 or even after midnight. I find that I don't get up at the same time everyday but I like the idea of this and will give it a go. I sure do listen to my sleep cycle though, and try to head off to bed when I start to nod off. For some reason my creative spirit has never taken off much before 4 PM, so I guess I am programed as a night-person internally. I sure have noticed that energy spurt in the morning when I'm up early so maybe I can use that at the gym instead of at my desk!
Reply to this
Lenore, you are programmed just like me... remind me to invite you and Alex out to late dinners when we're at Inman...
Reply to this
I tried bi-phasic sleeping, but it has a lot of drawbacks. The biggest downside is that you are sleeping while everyone else is awake. It's also hard to keep the house quiet. I would try to sleep at 7 p.m., stay up, sleep again later. But my wife and son were about the house at 7 p.m.
My wife tried it too. She had the same trouble. She also complained that she had to do her hygiene ritual one more time per day. Brushing teeth before the first stage of sleeping, after , then again at the next stage. Same for showers and what not.
It was also ridiculously difficult to get to sleep when it was still light outside. We went back to the old routine of 8 hours per night.
Reply to this
At least you and your wife tried it... that's really a leap worth plaudits...
Reply to this