What do you do? Its not that there’s nothing to do, I just can’t keep my eyes open. Damn mondays. Already had probably 6 cups coffee today too.
It happens. To stay awake, you have to keep moving. Chew a piece of gum.
We have multiple conference rooms on my floor. I just reserve one for an hour and take a power nap. Works wonders
Unfortunately, all the conference rooms at my work have glass walls. I guess if you were truly baller, you would nap there anyway. I don’t think I am at that level yet.
I guess if coffee does not work, try going for a walk, talk to hot girls on the other side of the floor, etc.
If you have really had 6 cups of coffee and you’re still tired, there is something wrong with you.
Get more sleep.
If that doesn’t work, schedule a test for a sleep study. A lot of people have mild sleep apnea and don’t know, even if they don’t know snore.
You can also try to get an rx for provigil or nuvigil. Those drugs are given to people with serious sleep problems – you basically don’t get tired and can work productively for as long as 20 hours at a stretch. I asked my doctor about it and apparently one of the side effects of those drugs is Steven-Johnson syndrome which basically makes your skin fall off until you die (it’s basically the mother of all rashes). If you want to see some really horrific pictures that you will never be able to erase from your memory, google image SJS. Needless to say I would rather be a little tired than risk that (pretty dangerous because both drugs have delayed reaction toxicity and you can take it for months with no side effects and then be in a world of pain).
I have a friend who uses provigil regularly and has said he feels no side effects. However, I find it difficult to believe that something with that strong an effect has no side effects. The bit about Steven-Johnson syndrome is news to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true.
I’ve been thinking about going in for a study. I get ~7 hrs a night, which might be on the light side but should be plenty enough. I avoid drugs like the plague though, in my experience I’m one of those guys who, if there’s a side effect, I’ll get it. Shitty but true.
7 hours – do you wake up at all?
How old are you?
I know a lot about this because I have poor sleep habits. I tend to wake up involuntarily in the middle of the night and have difficulty going back to sleep. My thoughts on the subject:
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The OTC stuff is either too weak or is based on antihistamines, which make me feel terrible if used several nights in succession.
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Ambien CR is pretty good but I still wake up in the middle of the night
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Intermezzo (new) is the win. Quick dissolving tab takes effect in 20 minutes. I use this to fall asleep and then again in the middle of the night to stay asleep.
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After 2 cups of coffee, I see negative marginal returns to additional coffee (dehydration, agitation, etc.)
As I have gotten older (just turned 30), I find that I can’t really screw around not getting a good night’s sleep and expect to get anything done the next day. Granted, my definition of getting stuff done is probably a high bar, but I need a good 8 hours to be optimal. I also have a mild case of sleep apnea which doesn’t help the cause (my true optimal is probably 7 hours ex the apnea), and I’m hoping to get that fixed with surgery later this year.
Anyway if you feel like shit all the time, get it checked out, you may have a thyroid condition, sleep apnea, or any number of other conditions that are more common than people think.
There is a minority of users who feel no side effects until months in when they get hit by a wave of side effects. Granted, you can say that about any drug or almost any drug. But the stories of people waking up after being in a coma for a week while on provigil are pretty scary. It is not really meant for regular use – you are supposed to use it once, stay up for 40 hours straight, complete multiple strategic bombing runs in your stealth bomber, and then sleep for 14 hours or something.
I haven’t received my fighter jet in the mail yet (I won that jet during the Pepsi points rebate competition way back in the day and they’re still refusing to send it to me) so I’m going to hold off for now.
if this is chronic, maybe you don’t get enough exercise. i go through periods like this when i’m working non-stop. i’m productive at work but am basically a zombie outside of work or even on work related things that I’m not concentrating on at the moment. living on coffee only works so long. the only way i’ve found to fight it is to get as much exercise as possible – clears the mind and allows you to sleep soundly.
Well, he does say that once he’s done with provigil he has to make up for lost sleep. But then a week or so later, he does it again. I don’t know what to make of it, but it is his body at the end of the day.
provigil is good, its a teva product that is off patent, consume…
Chib, do you get exercise enough? 7 hrs of sleep when you’re good and [physically] tired should be enough for most people, from what I’ve read. However, if your body isn’t good and tired when you go to sleep, sometimes you can lay in bed for 10+ hours and still not feel “refreshed”. How often/intensely you working out? When I’m regularly working out, my sleeping habits get much better, and I need less.
^ yes
I average roughly 3-4 hours a night during the week. There’ve definitely been days where I’ve powered through till lunch then at lunch I just put my head down and catch a 15 minute nap (don’t care who sees on lunch break) and I’m good the rest of the day.
Don’t take naps after you come home from work. I need to follow my own advice.
You must be a genetic miracle. I can do that for about two days in a row before I would die.
Close the office door. (I guess being older and more experienced has its benefits, such as a real office, not a cubicle.) A 10-minute power nap after lunch works wonders. Plus I don’t punch a clock so the boss (or anyone else) doesn’t care how long I nap.
Failing that, sleep in your car. My wife (who had to share her office with three loud IT guys) recommends this. Keep the A/C running, lock the doors. And FFS don’ t try this in a small closed garage!
You have issues if you are drinking 6 cups of coffee before lunch. Even during the course of the day. Caffeine screws with your adrenal glands. You should 100% give it up. Let your body reset.
I do exercise, but pretty half arsed lately. And for what its worth, the coffee here’s incredibly weak!