Ana Pires 2.0

Sleeping what?

My sleeping “patterns”, let’s call it that, have been going a bit crazy again. To prevent further arguments with my mother about the sleeping pills Diazepam I sometimes take, I decided to conscientiously change the said patterns themselves. I now sleep during the day and do my things during the night. It’s been going on for a couple of weeks now and I have to say I don’t dislike it.

In the morning I’m already really tired and it’s hard to be attentive and focused on classes. I have to leave the house at either 7 or 9AM, depending on the days, and get home everyday at 3PM, so it’s rough to stay awake and not doze off  in the meantime. That’s not good, obviously. But then again, if I can’t sleep at night and take a few Diazepams, while getting some sleep at the right time, the outcome is the same. I’ll still be sleepy and zombie-like. So why not take the time and do something useful, leaving the sleep to when I’m actually tired?

I’ve been falling asleep right after lunch, at around 4PM. I admit I sometimes still take the Diazepam behind my mother’s back - the whole ‘avoid arguments’ thing - when I see I’m not being able to fall asleep that easily. But most times, I just lay down my head and I’m out, almost immediately (and for quite a while too - managed more than 5 hours of sleep today). That’s not entirely bad either, in more than one way. “I just lay down my head and I’m out, almost immediately”, do you know what that feels like for a chronic insomniac? And also, I get to miss all the commotion and stress - meaning people - of the day, which leads me to: peace. 

The only noise I hear right now is the computer, the fan and my cat’s purr. Everyone’s asleep, neighbors included, no cars or people outside. It’s the perfect environment to do whatever you feel like doing. Okay, so I can’t really exercise (too much noise from the stationary bicycle for the neighbors), but other than that, night time is perfect to work. There’s virtually no noise or interruptions or distractions or anything.

There’s yet another problem related to this, but I think I’ll take care of it only when I have to. What about when you have to be awake during the actual day? I happen to have a nice schedule this semester and get home everyday at 3PM, but what about family lunches or dinners or going out with friends? I doubt I can keep the same schedule forever, and my family or friends probably don’t want to stop by during night… Again, I’ll leave that problem to when it comes to me and I have to deal with it. For now, I want to see how it goes and how I can keep it.

It’s half past three now, and I’m feeling very productive here. I know I won’t feel that way once it’s eight in the morning and I’m on my first class, but I’ll survive (there’s always at least one coffee machine around). Now, it’s study time again.