Three-Week Self-Study

Hi. I'm back. That seven hours did not quite work out. Ironically, I have spent so much time over the past few weeks doing hours of homework that I have not had time to sleep enough, much less work on this blog (which I finished purely because I believe in finishing what I start!). I admit it. I have spent next to no time sleeping or researching, and the only results I have about the effects of different sleep habits are my mental self-inventories. I therefore offer myself as a subject for science.

Week 1

I began this blog shortly after a Christmas Break of sleeping for an exorbitant amount of time, and then sleeping some more. How did that work out for me?

• energy level - low

After sleeping around 12-13 hours a night, I found myself waking up more sleepy and languid than when I went to bed the night before. Often I would wake up in morning after 6 or 7 hours of sleep, but still feel kind of sleepy, so then I would turn over and go back to sleep. And wake up again. And sleep some more. Finally, I would reach the point where I simply could not fall back asleep, but I felt too tired to do anything, so I would lie there and stare at the ceiling.

• productivity - lower

With decreased energy level comes decreased productivity. After sleeping for such a long period of time, not only did I have less energy to accomplish anything, but I also had less time, which was lost to sleeping excessively and staring at the ceiling.

• mood - relaxed

A definite pro of sleeping so much was the relaxed mood I had throughout the break. Not only did I not feel like doing anything, I didn't worry about anything either.

So now you have the effects of sleeping too much for a 17-year-old girl. What are the effects of sleeping too little?

Week 3

Now that school has started, I am experiencing my uncomfortable sleep pattern once again! This week alone, my sleep times have been three hours on Sunday, three hours on Monday, three hours on Tuesday, and two hours on Wednesday night. Here are the consequences:

• energy level - fluctuates between extreme hyperactivity and utter exhaustion

After a two or three-hour night, I wake up active and energetic, and once I have breakfast I can keep going for another three hours before I'm overcome with an overpowering compulsion to fall asleep (which is a very, very bad idea when in AP English or AP Calculus class). A mid-morning snack can keep me going for another couple of hours, but by noon, it takes every bit of my willpower to stay awake, especially if I run out of snacks to give me energy. Getting up and moving around helps to get the energy flowing again, but sitting down at a desk is not conducive to staying awake after having gotten so little sleep.

• productivity - high

Because I am more productive at night, I get a lot more work done with the extra hours at night, plus I am awake in school all day working. However, it is more difficult to think clearly having had only two or three hours of sleep, so a lot more effort is required to do tasks that would probably be simpler if I was well-rested. Memorizing is difficult, and in fact, so is basic reading. This morning while reviewing for an AP Government quiz, I had to read the same few lines over five times before finally understanding what I was reading. I knew the material on the page, but my brain was too tired to let the information sink in.

• mood - volatile

My mood these days is exactly what I typed above. Even if I am bubbly and happy one moment, I can find myself tense, strained, and stressed the next, with my nerves ever stretched to their limit. While I act normally for the most part, there are moments throughout the day where I feel like the weight of the world is crushing my spirits, and other moments where I find myself giggling or laughing for no reason.

As I have described above, sleeping too long can make one feel more lazy than rested, and sleeping too little can have about as many benefits and risks as ice skating. Not enough sleep can upset a person's emotional balance and slow-down his or her mental processes, even if it comes with temporary bursts of energy.

Now, if one was reading carefully, one would notice that I have written about "Week 1" of my sleeping habits, and "Week 3." Where is Week 2? Haha, don't worry, I have information on it, as well.

Week 2

For one blissful week between Christmas Break and my current hectic week, I had the first week of school, which was defined by relatively light homework, early bedtime hours, and early waking hours. On average, I slept about 6 hours every night, and ended up with these results:

• energy level - moderate

While I was not bouncing off the walls with energy, I definitely was not tired all the time, which was a nice feeling. I had enough energy to do everything I had to throughout the day, and I was not falling asleep every three hours, either.

• productivity - moderate

I did not have an excessive amount of schoolwork during this week, so while I was productive enough to complete all of it, I preferred going to sleep earlier rather than staying up late filling more scholarship application.

• mood - stable

Again, no excessive hyperactivity or tension, just the contentment of knowing I was getting enough sleep and I should enjoy it as much as possible before the real work started. I was definitely thinking more clearly (my test grades were higher during week 2 than during week 3), and I was calmer most of the time, less on edge.

If it helps with visualization any, here's a graph I made!

As you can see, Week One has low energy, productivity, and mood levels, Week Two has stable and even energy, productivity, and mood levels, and Week Three has a low energy level, high productivity, and a high mood (as in nervous and strained).

So there you have it: weeks one through three of my personal sleep study! Now I'll move on to wrap this all up in the conclusion post.