Comments on: My hobby is resurrection.

Question: My hobby is resurrection.

mecran01 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:23:46 -0800

Let's say for whatever reason you've only slept five hours last night and have to be productive today. What's the healthiest way to compensate for a temporary lack of sleep?

Generally, I take caffeine, lots of carbohydrates, and maybe methylphenidate (prescribed). But I'm looking for other, more sustainable ways to wake myself up that won't lead to dependency or exploding kidneys.

By: dr. boludo

dr. boludo — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:24:57 -0800

I find exercise helps.

By: dawkins_7

dawkins_7 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:26:28 -0800

Lots of showers, walk around a lot.

By: DoubleLune

DoubleLune — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:29:57 -0800

Sounds like me last night. I'm starting with coffee. When I'm trying to be healthy about it, I take liquid B12 in the morning. Drink lots of water. Eat light, frequent, balanced meals.

By: sportbucket

sportbucket — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:32:13 -0800

Try a Caffeine nap. It works!

By: Namlit

Namlit — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:33:03 -0800

Hmm, actually I take coffee, enough water, and a constant trickle of high-calory things, like cubes of parma ham, cheeses, smoked salmon, and nuts. So for me: no carbohydrates, because they tend to make me even more tired after the initial kick.

By: tel3path

tel3path — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:34:43 -0800

Presumably if you didn't have time to sleep, you also don't have time to exercise before work. But at the first opportunity you get, have a moderate (not killer) workout.

Take it as gently (not easy, just gently, doing the task before you gently) as you can during the workday and try to make your workspace quiet and not too brightly or too dimly lit.

When you get home, feed the cat, open and deal with the mail, order takeout, and get ready for bed while you wait for the takeout. Figure out what time you need to go to bed to get seven or eight hours' sleep, and set a reminder for that time. In the meantime, you can get into bed, and eat your dinner and read or watch TV.

I wouldn't try to deal with this by throwing caffeine at it. If you're already taking your methylphenidate as prescribed, caffeine is weaksauce anyway and will only make you jittery. You need to limit your caffeine consumption to three cups a day to get the best out of coffee.

And for God's sake, don't drive.

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:39:00 -0800

It's my understanding that caffeine is best thought of not as a drug that speeds you up, but rather as a drug that prevents you from slowing down. This makes it essential for you to get up and moving in order to take advantage of caffeine.

In other words, take a caffeine nap, then jog.

Also, coffee can make one spike and crash, but tea is more steady and long-lasting.

By: cadge

cadge — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:42:01 -0800

Get up and move around frequently, like taking a quick minute's walk every half hour. Do jumping jacks (in the restroom if you're at work). Small meals and snacks instead of big stodgy sit-and-digest-for-a-while meals.

By: anya32

anya32 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:46:44 -0800

I don't do caffeine so can't talk about that. But, I can absolutely agree with the exercise idea - I do pushups at work when I am feeling tired or take a quick (brisk) walk around the block. Also, music. Upbeat music can almost always get me going (and helps me concentrate).

By: SpacemanStix

SpacemanStix — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:02:01 -0800

My big one has been learning to not obsess mentally about having a lack of sleep. I find that I feel more tired the more that I think I'm supposed to feel tired. If I get up and moving and somehow internalize the state of mind that is consistent with eight hours of sleep, and try to not dwell on it, sometimes I can't tell the difference. If it's an ongoing insomnia issue, however, that's a different thing.

By: feral_goldfish

feral_goldfish — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:24:09 -0800

Apples, bike commute, ginseng, vriksasana.

By: it's a long way to south america

it's a long way to south america — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:27:29 -0800

If before going to bed I know I'll be getting a less than ideal amount of sleep, I wear an eye mask. For whatever reason it gives me the deepest sleep.

By: amoeba

amoeba — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:44:53 -0800

A (brief) cold shower/rinse gets the circulation moving and wakes you up and energizes you for the day. In some Yoga circles, they practice this: instructions here.

By: pchere

pchere — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:55:57 -0800

Make the 5 hours of sleep more wholesome - no noise, no stress before sleep, fresh air, good pillow/mattress - wake up rested and take a good shower with light breakfast.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:58:20 -0800

I might double up on my adderall (or ritalin) if I was really desperate.

By: Ziggy500

Ziggy500 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:59:41 -0800

Strategic napping. Even 10 minutes can really help refresh you.

By: erst

erst — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:27:10 -0800

My recipe for surviving a day on way-less-than-optimal sleep is a little caffeine, tons of water, a B-complex supplement, chewing mint gum all day, eating several small high-protein and low carb meals, and working stretching into my day.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:43:52 -0800

Moving around (walking in brisk air = A++, would do again!). Loads of water. Crunchy things (more about protein or fiber than carbs). Caffeine, applied thoughtfully. And the real kicker: 20min nap (less is okay, but not longer - 30min is way too long and will make you sleepier).

By: Countess Sandwich

Countess Sandwich — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:13:08 -0800

Carbs are a bad idea, because you will crash and then be EXHAUSTED. I have to stay up all night working on occasion, and I'm usually fine UNTIL I give up and have a bagel. Then I immediately want to die. Water, water, water, water, coffee, and PROTEIN.

By: ACEness

ACEness — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:34:22 -0800

Not to steal completely from the adventures Pete and Pete but if its a decent day outside - try to get out in the sun. It will do wonders to recharge your battery.

Or you can try to get your hands on some fig newlies.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:50:42 -0800

Cold water over your wrists for about 15 seconds. Then splash some water on your face, rub it on your ears, and all the way around your neck.

Doing the above at every gas fillup, and a ten-minute powernap every two hours, I can drive for just about 36 straight hours. If you're really strict about it, you can go 36 hours *after* only five hours' sleep, then get four hours and keep going all day.

Protein bars are good for keeping your energy level even, rather than peaking.

By: driley

driley — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:12:13 -0800

I attend a conference on a regular basis that leaves me seriously sleep deprived and then expected to sit for long periods in a darkened hall listening to presentations. However good the the presentations (and they are usually of outstanding quality), the sleep deprivation gets to me. The best thing I have been able to find is some caffeine followed by a steady flow of water --- somehow, staying super-well hydrated makes up for some of the sleep loss.

Good luck.

By: rhiannonstone

rhiannonstone — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:58:50 -0800

The caffeine naps mentioned above combined with lots and lots of water have gotten me through many an exam season, several conferences where I get much less than 5 hours of sleep a night, and some crazy cross-country traveling. A steady stream of protein-y nibbles tends to help keep me relatively energetic (as opposed to just upright). As much as I want to reach for the carbs in this situation because they're comforting and give me quick energy, there's always a crash, which I can't afford when I have to be on for a full day.

By: blahtsk

blahtsk — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:44:56 -0800

(Protein is used during digestion, and to build / maintain muscle. The body can, but prefers not to burn it as fuel. So I'm not sure why people are suggesting you eat a lot of it, except that, at a high enough level, you'll convert it to glucose via glyconeogenesis. But for that, you might as well drink some juice.)

By: hobo gitano de queretaro

hobo gitano de queretaro — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:44:58 -0800

People are suggesting protein because you need to eat food and if you eat carbs (or juice) you will crash.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:33:43 -0800

These are all really useful, thank you.

By: kitcat

kitcat — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 22:42:22 -0800

Besides caffeine and sugary treats (yes, bad, but not that bad if you're truly desperate), I rely on two things not mentioned here:
a) spicy food - ie., have sushi with lots of wasabi for lunch, or keep a bottle of kim chee on hand (like exercise, this gets the endorphins going)
b) laughter, either via co-worker/schoolmate silliness, or on-line comics, youtube videos, kitten pictures, etc.

And, as said above - don't think about the tiredness or get into a poor-me spin over it. Just keep moving, doing what must be done. It takes practice not feeling sorry for yourself over poor sleep (I have a small child who robs my sleep often), but it's really, truly key to surviving the day.