Going against your internal clock harmful? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

cartmen34 · 02-16-2004, 08:04 AM

Here's a question for my fellow TFP'ers. We as humans all have internal clocks. There is a certain amount of sleep we need in order to be fully functional for the days activites. That same internal clock also tells our bodies when it's time to sleep and when to wake. (According to the theory anyway.)

Now, does anybody here think that forcing yourself to work against your internal clock can be harmful?

What I mean is this:
I have a tendancy to want to stay up until roughly 1am and get up around 9am (8 hrs of sleep). Now... I have a job that requires me to be at work by 7:30am, which means I have to get up at 6am. This means that for my full 8 hrs of rest I need to be in bed by 10pm. But my body doesn't like to go to bed at that time. I usually toss and turn for two to three full hours before I finally fall asleep, which means I'm not getting my full 8 hrs of rest. Which means I don't want to get up at 6sm, all of which results in me feeling tired and half-witted all day. It is a terrible struggle for me to even get out of bed most mornings. And some of you may think that I'll adapt to the hours my job requires me to work, but to that I say that I've been working here for 1 1/2 years, and I still struggle to get out of bed every single morning. (Except for weekend of course, when I go to bed at 1 and get up at 9 and feel just fine all day long.)

Now, barring me quiting my job for one with more flexible hours, what can I do to help my body "want" to go to sleep earlier?

rockzilla · 02-16-2004, 08:22 AM

If you're not excercising, you should start, it does marvels for your sleep.
You can probably get away with less than 8 hours a night, I find I'm fine with 6, but your mileage may vary.
You can try going to bed early and making yourself read a boring book until it knocks you out.
You're not really going against your internal clock by waking up a little early, but you can mess yourself up by seriously mixing up your schedule, which I found out when I was working overnights.

Sleepyjack · 02-16-2004, 08:37 AM

Normally excercise will help, as rockzilla said. With that, when i have a tough workout, i like to get about 8-9 hours of sleep, but usually get 6.5-7.5, more maybe on the weekend.

Other than a tough physical session, reading can get you dreary, sometimes watching mindless TV, whilst laying down, or especially sex, or just having a wank is good as well

Going against your body isn't too bad, but make sure you get some rest up on the weekends or days off, if possible. Small power naps are good as well, combined with another fuller session of sleep (like 5-6+ hours)

02-16-2004, 08:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
cartmen34 Psycho Location: the hills of aquafina.	Going against your internal clock harmful? Here's a question for my fellow TFP'ers. We as humans all have internal clocks. There is a certain amount of sleep we need in order to be fully functional for the days activites. That same internal clock also tells our bodies when it's time to sleep and when to wake. (According to the theory anyway.) Now, does anybody here think that forcing yourself to work against your internal clock can be harmful? What I mean is this: I have a tendancy to want to stay up until roughly 1am and get up around 9am (8 hrs of sleep). Now... I have a job that requires me to be at work by 7:30am, which means I have to get up at 6am. This means that for my full 8 hrs of rest I need to be in bed by 10pm. But my body doesn't like to go to bed at that time. I usually toss and turn for two to three full hours before I finally fall asleep, which means I'm not getting my full 8 hrs of rest. Which means I don't want to get up at 6sm, all of which results in me feeling tired and half-witted all day. It is a terrible struggle for me to even get out of bed most mornings. And some of you may think that I'll adapt to the hours my job requires me to work, but to that I say that I've been working here for 1 1/2 years, and I still struggle to get out of bed every single morning. (Except for weekend of course, when I go to bed at 1 and get up at 9 and feel just fine all day long.) Now, barring me quiting my job for one with more flexible hours, what can I do to help my body "want" to go to sleep earlier? __________________ "The problem with quick and dirty, as some people have said, is that the dirty remains long after the quick has been forgotten" - Steve McConnell

02-16-2004, 08:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
rockzilla Junkie Location: The Kitchen	If you're not excercising, you should start, it does marvels for your sleep. You can probably get away with less than 8 hours a night, I find I'm fine with 6, but your mileage may vary. You can try going to bed early and making yourself read a boring book until it knocks you out. You're not really going against your internal clock by waking up a little early, but you can mess yourself up by seriously mixing up your schedule, which I found out when I was working overnights.

02-16-2004, 08:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sleepyjack Fast'n'Bulbous Location: Australia, Perth	Normally excercise will help, as rockzilla said. With that, when i have a tough workout, i like to get about 8-9 hours of sleep, but usually get 6.5-7.5, more maybe on the weekend. Other than a tough physical session, reading can get you dreary, sometimes watching mindless TV, whilst laying down, or especially sex, or just having a wank is good as well Going against your body isn't too bad, but make sure you get some rest up on the weekends or days off, if possible. Small power naps are good as well, combined with another fuller session of sleep (like 5-6+ hours)