sleep vs work

[Piotr]

Hello GameQuitters!

We all have moments in our lifes, where we have much to do and 24hours, is not enough for one day. Often the solution to this is to sleep less; than doctor-advised 8 hours. What do you choose in such situations? Do you prefer to be rested or get the job done? What criteria you're taking into account to choose which solution is best for you?

Greetings, Piotr.

[giblets]

Such a great topic. I dabbled with this so much at university - for a combination of so I could stay up all night gaming or so I could leave my studies until the very last minute and still get everything done.

Since then in my last job I trialled to see if I could break one big sleep into two smaller ones. I know that there have been studies on this and trials and such, but my reasons were purely selfish, I knew I could accomplish more at night when there was no external (people calling, notifications, e-mails, knocks on the door) or internal (when you know you're voluntarily giving up sleep, I tend to be a lot more hyper focused as to make it worthwhile (no point giving up 3 hours of sleep just to chat on facebook for example)) distractions. I think a few TV shows have covered this in different ways - the one that immediately comes to mind is Seinfeld.

 

I have found there is a balance. I can go 3 days on about 5 hours of sleep, but then my productivity drops to a point where I would get more value out of sleeping and starting work again afterwards than I would from continuing to push on. A pseudo point of diminishing returns. If I want to maintain a high level of productivity for an extended period - like right now when I am trying to study and balance other commitments - I aim for 6 hours a night, going to bed as early as possible and getting up as early as possible (10pm-4pm is my usual routine). This is because you will tend to be more productive in the morning as you are refreshed and have a clear mind, as well as everyone else is still asleep so will leave you alone. I'd push to go earlier than 4am but I find that I fade too quickly in the afternoon and/or feel like I have done a full days work before I have even got to work, therefore impacting my productivity when I got there (and the diminishing return point). Plus, now when I think of getting up that early I think of Rives.

[giblets]

Interesting to note that one of the main researchers for polyphasic sleep is Piotr

[Piotr]

Thank you @giblets for your reply. That's very interesting what you've posted, although polyphasic sleep might be a little hard to implement in my current lifestyle. I found too, that getting up earlier is good for productivity, still it's hard to reconcile this with full time job.

For me it's somehow hard to get past less than 7 hours of sleep. Around 11pm I'm getting so sleepy that any work is pointless, especially mind-work. Maybe it has to be this way? Or maybe it just requires a different approach?

[WorkInProgress]

I need my sleep. Sleep is more important for me then every single other factor. I if don't get enough sleep even exercising and eating well won't help me. I got under 6 hours regularly at the start of this year and it just lead to me being unfocussed, irritated and getting ill more. I only prioritize time with my wife over sleep. My advice would be to just accept that you have only 16 hours for living (work/eat/time with people you care about) and focus on prioritizing what you do and how to do it well instead of taking so much on your plate that you need more time per day. In my opinion time is not the limiting factor but products=time*energy. You can't cut sleep and improve your productivity, because your energy levels will decrease exponentially

[Piotr]

Good point of view