Sleepyitis: a condition known to affect writers in varying degrees of severity, resulting in the urge to nap frequently during the daytime hours. Sufferers are not physically tired but may experience similar symptoms: heavy eyes, drowsiness and lack of ability to form complete sentences.Since Monday, I have been a victim of sleepyitis. I start the day with the best intentions, but come 11 am my eyelids are heavy and I'm gravitating towards the bed.
Nothing has changed: my prose is as scintillating as ever, my characters practically leap off the page (har har). I'm eating properly (chocolate cake aside), getting a good night's sleep, exercising at lunch (yes, it's true!) and drinking plenty of water. I chug my espresso each morning with grim determination that today will be the day I don't succumb. Yet I cannot seem to keep my eyes open!
Please help me: how do you stay awake during bouts of sleepyitis?
if at work - coffee and/or fresh air.
ReplyDeleteif at home - i unfortunately succumb. but i seem to be the queen of little power naps. 15 minutes and i'm good as new....
Power naps rock! I love to be able to grab 20 minutes and get refreshed. But lots of green tea is good when you gotta keep going. And I am quite familar with sleepyitis--even the mention of it makes me yawn. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree about power naps - mine only last five minutes or so. Going outside works for me, too. So either nap or movement. It's a toss-up.
ReplyDeleteI don't!! Napping is good for creativity!
ReplyDeleteI know you love your coffee but... Eat an apple when you feel sleepy! Apples keep you awake better than caffeine. Seriously! Apples have the natural nutrients that fuel your brain and give you energy. :)
ReplyDeleteToo long on the computer makes me sleepy. So when sleepyitus hits, I step away from the screen and walk around for a bit or continue writing in a notebook instead. And I eat an apple!!!
I find that I usually don't stay awake. As a student, I've had the luxury/horror of seriously erratic hours for three years, so a 'normal sleeping pattern' does not exist for me.
ReplyDeleteI shudder to think of what will happen when I leave uni (in a week) and sleepyitis strikes me in the real world!
Give in to the naps! I imagine you only want them because you need sleep for some reason. Probably overworking your brain while writing?
Yay--I'm not the only one. In my case I think the problem is: I've read this draft too darn many time!!! But sleepyitis sounds better. If you find the cure let me know!
ReplyDeleteSo, this is what I've been suffering from the last few days. I can't nap - I wake up even more tired so instead, I drink more coffee. Not helpful, I know...I blame the sleepyitis ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I've had the same thing this week and all I want to do is sleep. Maybe I'll wake up a bit now it's nearly the weekend?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I have a worse case than you, though I suspect it has more to do with entertaining two children during summer break than writing too much.
ReplyDeleteYou made that definition up! Didn't you? My advice to you would be to not exercise at lunch but to do it when sleepyitis hits instead. You tend to get a post exercise slump about 40 mins to an hour after finishing your work out so just shift your work out to wear off closer to cocktail time. x
ReplyDeleteMUSIC. Lots and lots of loud music. It sets off the adrenaline and gets me energized.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the knowledge that it's frowned upon to take power naps in my office encourages alertness.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm afraid sometimes to take naps because I get sucked in and can't get up again! But apples or music just might do the trick!
ReplyDeleteDJ - yes, I made that up! :)
I've heard power naps are good too - and I thought apples were supposed to INDUCE sleep... ah, what do I know? A friend of mine started feeling really sleepy a lot all of a sudden and she found out she'd got an underactive thyroid - now she bounds about like a puppy on Red Bull!
ReplyDeleteI don't even try to fight it because if I'm sleepy I start writing stuff that only makes sense when I'm sleepy. I usually take a nap for at least an hour, and then I go back to work feeling better. And I think you deserve a good nap after spending all that time writing. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, maybe I should try Red Bull! But I must admit I do find it foul - I could never undertstand the Red Bull and vodka drink.
ReplyDeleteI did have a good nap today for about 40 minutes. But I still feel sleepy! Of course that could now be because of the wine...
It usually hits at work, so I'm okay! A good workout at the gym usually revives me, though.
ReplyDeleteA little bit of water helps, as does a walk outside. It just gets me away from the work zone and changes things up a little.
ReplyDeleteTalli, this is me!! By mid-afternoon I have to have a cup of tea or it's all over. Don't feel bad.
ReplyDeleteAre you taking your vitamins...especially iron? Slacking on your vitamins, even though your eating properly, can definitely make a difference. :)
ReplyDeleteI just go with it...
ReplyDeleteI can pretty much sleep anywhere if given the chance.
Fresh air is the best pick-me-up, I find. If I let myself sleep in the day I wake up in a daze and then don't sleep properly at night.
ReplyDeleteI don't suffer from sleepyitis so don't really have any words of wisdom to share...go for a walk maybe?
ReplyDeleteC x
Getting up and moving helps. Oftentimes, the only thing that works is a short nap on the couch in my office.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have bouts of sleepyitis.
Well my day is spent at work and sleepyitis happens quite often, going outside for some fresh air can give me a few minutes of relief.
ReplyDeleteHowever if at home I say go for the power nap!
I'll have to get back to you after my nap.
ReplyDeleteGetting up at 5:25 am, and rarely going to be before 10:30 pm (though I need 8 hours), I was hoping you could tell me.
ReplyDeleteIt could be lack of fresh air. It could also be because writing is a lot of mental work. Your brain may need the rest. Succumb to a cat nap sometime before 4 pm (or it could interfere with your nighttime sleep). Set the alarm for 30 or 40 minutes (or it could also interfere with your nighttime sleep).
Your body must need it for some reason. And sometimes my best writing ideas come from dreams. You're a full-time reader, so get some daytime rest like they do in Italy.
The only other thing I'd add is it could be from a virus or depression. I've gotten sleepier from both.
Sweet dreams. Or have another cup coffee. That's what I do when I'm stuck at work with no nap time.
Talli, I'm so glad (is that wrong of me?) to hear someone give a name to a condition I suffer from too! Wonder is it related to what ever stage your at in your writing? Its only happening to me at the editing/final lap of my book. I know of no remedy, but working on small pieces of poetry and giving my self a break from the weight of my work in progress has helped slightly, it doesnt speed me towards "The End" though!
ReplyDeleteI have experienced sleepy's third cousin, when I start my first page of writing of the day by paragraph three I am suddenly hit with the kind of tiredness you descibe and I always think, maybe I should have a lie down, I'm obviously exhausted, (dispite having had a full nights sleep!) But by the second page it usually has gone and I've forgotten all about it. A friend of mine has identified it as "resistance tiredness." A contrary self sabotaging thing your body does when you are doing something thats going to be good for you!
haha! Yes, I get this all the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if I had the option of a little nap during the day, I'd go for it. Enjoy it lol
Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee!
ReplyDeleteSome time between 3 and 4 pm is when I get it.
Coffeecoffeecoffee...
This is me. No matter how well I sleep, bleary eyes gets me. I vote more power naps. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're feeling that sleepy, you probably need the nap. Give in. But set the timer so you don't sleep too long -- I consider one hour to be a good power nap.
ReplyDeleteI frequently have three coffees before 10am. Can't function otherwise! Rather pathetically, if I'm in bed any later than 10.30pm, I have pretty useless the next day. (Checks watch)
ReplyDeleteI have that condition and I have no novel to edit.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I ever didnt have that sleepyitis conditon is when I was pregnant (now, I am not recommending that) and I gave up coffee and cigarettes. Besides feeling grumpy and deprived I had much more energy so I think coffee dehydrates you and then you need to keep drinking it to wake up. I find drinking water or smoothies work but despite all that I still drink lots of coffee.
By the way, Talli, thanks for your lovely comment about my daughter, she was so thrilled, a REAL writer saying nice things about her.
Give in to the sleep. You'll never know what will come to you in your dreams until you try it. :)
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
The most natural way to combat hayfever is to start taking small doses of pollen - so you combat the thing that gives you hayfever with the thing that gives you hayfever.
ReplyDeleteBasically they cancel themselves out.
So here is my remedy. To combat sleepynitis - give in to this and sleep. :-)
And dream of your lovely novel!
Take care
x
I can relate. It hits me right after lunch. I just decide to doze off in front of the computer for a few minutes. '
ReplyDeleteYou can try getting up & exercising just enough to get the circulation flowing. Otherwise, just allow yourself to sleep for about 10 minutes & you'll feel better. :)
I move it. My body that is. Move it, walk it, swim it, feed it. Or I succomb and then awake full of whatever... Or I wonder what I'm avoiding (can't help it - I am a psychotherapist!) Am I doing what I want or what I think I should do? For reoccurring sleepiness I really want to check that out...
ReplyDeleteFinally, a diagnosis I can grab hold of! I've got it too!
ReplyDeleteI think I yawned all day today! I'm pretty run down right now - and can't wait for some time off!
ReplyDeleteAlready you seem to be doing a lot to keep yourself and your writing healthy! See my blog for an award I've got for you! :D
ReplyDeleteWhat I do to keep myself awake is turn on some music, although I've heard from a lot of writers that it distracts them. Maybe music without lyrics?
I think my sleepyitis has more to do with my teaching than my writing but I'm definitely suffering from it at the moment. Thanks for sharing this post.
ReplyDeleteHumm, that´s certinly not uncommon!
ReplyDeleteThe power of words like thse is amazing: I just yawned! Holly crap, Talli! What have you done!!!!!!? lol
I'm with the nappers. It's one of the perks of working as hard as we do and making as little money from it as we do :-) Naps are soul enriching. Naps are life saving. I can't wait for my next one!
ReplyDeleteI love napping too, but the horrible, sensible side of me has to admit that I find it often has a knock-on effect, disturbing my night-time sleep and compounding the problem the following day. I then get into a vicious circle.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest trying not to nap - as lovely as it can be! But concentrating on getting a solid night's sleep, 6-8 hours at least if possible.
I have been getting this at night. Granted, I could *actually* be sleepy, but it hits hard and then is gone, so I'm self-diagnosing myself with a case of sleepy-itis.
ReplyDeleteWowee you have a lot of comments!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, try Mountain Dew, black tea, or coffee :) Sometimes I drink all three.
I've got this too! man! Except it's around 1:30pm not 11am(my normal writing time is 1:30-3:30). I've stopped drinking coffee for now, but that's my usual crutch. I saw that others suggested power naps, but I'm guessing a change of scenery might help. I know I wake up when there's something new around.
ReplyDeleteI have no help for you, I suffer from the same affliction as you. I will go through your commenters to see what they have to say though.
ReplyDeleteCD
In Cyprus, we siesta! I approve of catnaps and cold showers.
ReplyDeleteOne to rest the mind, the other to ...well that is DH's problem, not yours. LOL
Seriously - cold showers will wake you up.
Just lay your forehead on the keyboard. While you dream, it will type something amazing, which you can just continue when you've woken up again. (By the way, if what you've written is 'ajd;ajdf;akjdf;ja;d.,nczvlkjdafoiujapoiupoiuaeoiuqepouqrd;aljfacc/nvc;lfjal;kd' don't worry about it - just carry on. It will win the Booker prize, deffo.)
ReplyDelete