Yesterday I had to get up very early to attend a meeting. Acually some interviews for a potential job change, but this is only of limited relevance here. The key is that I also had to come back home very late, and as you may already guess, I loss a lot of sleep on both nights. I usually sleep at least 7-8 hours per night, this time I slept less than six on both nights. Perhaps it does not seem to be a big loss is leep time, but combined with the impact of all day travel, it does make me feel like an old rag.
There has been some research many years ago, showing that sleep deprivation may boost the mood. In my case, it definitely does one thing: it starves the monsters. Not enough sleep, not enough food for the night monsters. The challenge is that my brain is working on 25% of its capacity - no monsters, the mood is neutral - becuase my brain is too exhausted to think and to produce any strong emotions. But this means no productive thinking either. I know I will have a challenging day at work. I also know that I need to recover quickly - sleep properly over the next few days, discipline myself to do my gym routines, no alcohol, good nutrition. This will bring my brain back to power.
And the monsters will probably return to their green pastures.
So, in summary, I getting my mood elevated by sleep deprivation is a bit like getting rid of the pain in my foot by numbing it completely. No pain, but no walking at the same time. May work occassionally, but not long term. At least for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment