Rob Bell's Notes from a Yorkshire Internet Megalomaniac

Now you may know already about my sleep problems. If not, you are about to!

Rob Can't Sleep

Since I’ve been very young I’ve always found it difficult to sleep on a night, but as I’ve got older it’s got worse – especially since I had 3 big extreme sport accidents that mean I get a lot of pain through the night (and the day!)
I have painkillers, relaxants and even sleeping tablets to help me get a decent night’s kip, but they don’t always work.

It’s nothing for me to stay up all night working on the PC, going to bed at 8am if I bother going at all. My record for not sleeping is 106 hours – that was a long week!

When I am asleep, I’m impossible to wake up – for instance, I have 6 powerful plug-in alarms (battery alarms have NO chance) which require me to get out of bed to reach each in a different location in the room. I often end up sleeping until 2 or 3 in the afternoon – if I’ve taken a sleeping tablet I end up sleeping in all day – heck I woke up at 8pm this evening, missing a lovely Sunday Roast at my Mum’s house.

Telephones have no chance of waking me from my slumber, so reminders that I’m meant to be doing something when I’m asleep just go to voice mail.

The trouble with such a lifestyle is that you miss the daytime an awful lot – and it’s difficult to make appointments, difficult to work during the day, you don’t get much sunlight – heck I feel like a non-blood-drinking vampire!

I do, however, most of my best work through the night, finding the peace and quiet a pleasure that helps me to concentrate, focus and write/design documents so much better than I do in the day with all the distractions (on the days I do rise before night-time!)

It’s not unusual for me to work a couple of days without sleep, seated at the PC the whole time except for breaks, trips to the shops, etc….

Now I have a problem! Starting the week after next I have lots of courses I’m attending towards progressing my business development. Many of them take place at 9.30am – a time I’ve only seen when it’s been as I’m going to bed. I haven’t got up at 8.30 for months – it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m at the stage where I’m ready to do this – if I have to train after no sleep so be it. I’m also trying to return my sleeping pattern to what most people consider ‘normal’, sleeping from 12 til 8am. I have to admit I’m finding it so hard – my pain does not like to be told when it has to leave me alone so I can sleep!

The fact that I’m writing this gives away that I am still up after 2am (although I had a sleeping tablet about 2 hours ago). I’m not even slightly tired, and I have a horrendous ache all down the right side of my back.

I’ve tried every cure I can find for the lack of sleeping, but it’s been a lifelong partner of mine. Lately I’ve started to wonder if I don’t have an extended body clock – heck I could be evolving like that because it’s got easier, not harder, to do 35-40 hour sessions at the PC. I read something once that you should only go to bed when you’re tired enough… I don’t think I’d ever sleep again if that’s the only time you should sleep!
I’ve used lavender essential oils and candles, I don’t watch TV in bed on a night unless it’s a special occasion, I have a mug of hot chocolate made with warmed milk – although not tonight as I ran out of hot chocolate!

Anyone else share my sleep problems, and suspect they might have ‘evolved’ to a new sleeping pattern?!?!

Got any tips? I’d love to hear from you,

Rob

It’s been a while since I’ve pulled an all-nighter working, but I got caught up in a computer-driven time black hole last night – ended up going to bed at 7am, then had to get up at 9.30am to go to the dentist so didn’t even get any sleep for fear of not waking up in time to have my gnashers tormented! Ended up watching US sitcoms on Channel 4 – Everybody Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me, and Frasier – only the latter managed to raise a chuckle, I wish I could have slept through the first two! I enjoy Everybody Loves Raymond usually, I’m sure I’m not the only one whose mother might possess one or two Marie-like qualities!

After being tortured in the name of hygiene at the dentist my mouth’s sore so no sleep this afternoon so far! It’s great that I can pick and choose my own working hours, but it really does my head in when my sleep pattern is the complete opposite to what it should be – even though there are also advantages to do with being up at the same time as people in other time zones, I often attend web seminars that can start at 9pm in the US (Eastern) which means 2am here… if it’s still going at 4am my brain sponge gets less absorbant, heck I’ve even fallen asleep at the computer on one occasion!

Fortunately, today I mostly have jobs to do that involve installing and ftping, so I don’t need to be running at 110% just to watch progress bars march across my screen. I’ve got a Webinar (web seminar) at 9pm EST tonight though, so best get a few hours of Zzzzs this evening. It’s a Russell Brunson seminar if you’re interested!

Note at 1.50am – I didn’t get any Zzzzs after all – tinkering with one of my sites caused some random script errors to appear, and I just spent 3 hours fixing it – Aaaagh! Still, only 10 minutes to the Webinar Now… zombie must stay awake. TGIF (Thank God it’s Friday!)

Note at 2.13am – after 10 mins in the webinar, my Skype credit ran out so I lost the audio, ah sweet Irony… bed beckons!

Rob