No.  I haven’t started writing a horror story but about the dangers of ignoring your bodies natural rhythms.  During the holiday period I was staying up very late every night, writing and working on this blog.  I got away with it for a while because I could sleep in, but then when I had to get up earlier this behaviour started to have a bad impact.  And especially when on top of this my dog had a vomiting attack after midnight and I had to keep letting him outside every 10 minutes.  The next morning I looked and felt like the zombie from hell, walking around in a daze.  Not good for the creative mind.

You can’t cheat on sleep for long as it will catch up with you sooner rather than later.  Sleep study experts say that losing too much sleep can make your IQ drop and it becomes difficult to think clearly and perform physical tasks like driving (Alarming Number of Drowsy Drivers).  I’d have to agree because I’ve not been firing on all levels.  This means that everything takes me longer than it should which leads to more wasted hours and a later bedtime.  It’s a vicious circle.

My quick solution is to indulge myself on a day off and recharge my energy levels.  For relaxation I started reading a new book (The Good People by Australian author, Hannah Kent).   Then I had a nap in my favorite chair and woke up because the washing machine kept beeping.  I have been eating all kinds of treats, like Greek dips, fresh raspberries and dark chocolate.  I don’t usually drink wine so I had a couple of glasses of white wine before dinner then watched a silly movie comedy that I’d recorded.  I am starting to feel more rested.   I would not do this every day but it is good way to break the sleep deprivation cycle before it gets to be the norm.

It’s 10.30 pm and I am going to stop what I am doing and get ready for bed.  I will start this again tomorrow otherwise I will be negating the whole point of this post……

Had a good night’s sleep. It really makes a big difference and I have some more ideas.

For maintaining long-term healthy sleep patterns, having hobbies different from your usual creative pastimes can be revitalizing.  I have tried various things like aerobics, bushwalking, and belly dancing.  My favorite recreational pursuit is going for a picnic in the hills or countryside around Melbourne and having walks in a forest.  There is nothing like being out in nature to make you feel calm and rested.  Any type of physical activity will take you away from being too sedentary and make you feel refreshed.  You sleep soundly and have more energy during the day.

Doing things with friends will give you a boost.  Having conversation and laughs with like-minded people will stop you from taking yourself too seriously.  Everyone has their own problems and it is good to put them in perspective.  You are not the centre of the universe. Time with friends is what is needed when you are going overboard with your own obsessions and not getting enough rest.

Dogs and cats have the right idea.  When they are feeling tired they take a nap.  Some places of business have a room where employees can do this when feeling tired.  Kind of like the afternoon siesta still practiced in some countries.  This prevents accumulated fatigue that can hinder work and in some cases is quite dangerous, especially when driving or operating any type of machine.  If you can’t do this during the day have a short nap when you get home.

If you do not want to spend you life in a constant zombie state then sleep is a necessity. This means that you might need to limit the amount of extra work that you do at night.  For your own health and to feed your creative mind, look after yourself and you will find it a lot easier to come up with inspiring new work.  And when you are feeling really tired have a nap and take time out to do something invigorating.  I know that’s what I should be doing.

Kat