Can’t keep eyes open…
Losing the ability to focus…
Zoning out.
Can’t remain still…
I keep closing my eyes…
And then reopening them.
I just want to lay down.
I don’t need to ask you if any or all of that sounds familiar, because I know those thoughts run through your head every time you’re fighting off the urge to sleep for whatever reason. You’re either at work trying to make it through the day or night, at school trying to pay attention to a lecture, or you’re just trucking along with any errands that you know need to be taken care of before you can finally throw yourself onto your bed or couch and sleep the night away.
Sucks doesn’t it? I can’t be the only one who calls this the “Sleep Zombie” effect. I mean, that’s basically what you feel like. You have something you’re trying to do, and yet the lack of sleep just keeps on eating away at you, making it hard for you to focus on and perceive pretty much anything. Tasks, thoughts, moving, you name it.
I feel like that’s the worst part of it, knowing that not only are your actions sluggish, but your whole ability to think becomes practically nonexistent. If it were possible to avoid that feeling and stay up late so we could get more studies and projects done, I bet we’d never stop learning.
Not pictured: The person’s zombified face eating flesh.
But of course, a lack of sleep isn’t healthy, and I’m not going back to caffeinated drinks anytime soon. I’d rather just get to sleep as soon as I can so I can wake up as soon as possible and resume whatever I was doing. Plus, I like sleeping because that little dreamworld can be quite amazing. Well, unless I’m having another dream involving a giant storm that turns out to be tomato soup.
Hey, I may have to talk about that one in the future.
Anyway, another thing I don’t like is the “sleep zombie” effect from not having enough sleep. I’ve had mornings where I wake up, check the time, see it’s too early, and go back to sleep for another two hours only to find myself waking up one hour later before I decide to catch another hour of sleep only to find myself unable to sleep. That’s when I decide to get out of bed and just do my thing. Everything goes smooth and perfectly fine, until during the middle of the day when I find myself taking an unwanted nap that only takes away my precious time.
Yeah, that’s totally happened. It’s like I want to fight off the sleep zombie effect with more sleep but I realize it’s dead and can get up, only to find it coming back just like a zombie that hasn’t been shot in the head. Oh yeah, it comes back and with a vengeance. The feeling sinks its teeth into my veins, I do the Peter Parker thing and say that I don’t wanna go, and then I tragically succumb to that unwanted nap.
Sounds like a real kick in the crotch, doesn’t it? I’m better off just sleeping in so that I don’t wake up as a zombie. I really don’t like sleeping in all that much, but if it keeps me from falling asleep in the middle of the day, then so be it. I just don’t want to feel like a zombie throughout any portion of the day. And while that would be kind of amusing if my life turned into the plot of My Boyfriend’s Back, I don’t think I’m quite ready for that just yet.
So how do you avoid becoming a sleep zombie? Well, I feel like solutions are going to be different for everyone, but personally I feel that the following tips work great and are perfect to start from.
Basic Tips for Sleeping Efficiently
- Choose an early-enough bed time as well as a preferred waking time.
- Form a pre-sleeping ritual can signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. This can involve anything like light exercise/stretching or a cup of tea. You can find many great ideas from this article at mindbodygreen.
- Think about your overall preferred amount of sleep and try to stick to it as consistently as possible to get your body into the habit.
- Make yourself as comfortable as you need/want to be. If it involves stacking several body pillows and or the use of plushies, go for it!
- Once you wake up, get active and do what you can to keep that feeling as you start your day. Hal Elrod has a lot of great ideas in his widely popular book The Miracle Morning. One of my favourite tips he shares is to set your alarm and have it be far enough from you so that you have to actually get up to turn it off.
- After all that, ye’re on your own, but you got this! 🙂
There are definitely other tips out there for having a good night’s sleep, so definitely search for them and you too can avoid the becoming a victim of the sleep zombie syndrome. The following links have great info from fellow sleep zombies.
https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2012/10/lack-of-sleep-can-turn-you-into-a-zombie/
http://sleepingresources.com/sleep-deprivation-and-zombies/
There’s a time and place for sleep, and regardless of what time best suits you, we can all agree that working, school, and especially driving are the worst times to have that sleepy zombie state of mind (If you’re driving and feel even a little sleepy, definitely find a hotel and be safe out there!).
In the end, it’s always inevitable that you’ll succumb to the sleep zombie thing, but if you can at least lessen it and make the sleeping process more comfortable, then that’s a small victory, wouldn’t you agree?
See ya next time everyone, and have pleasant dreams! o/
Kasey Lewis - Actor, Writer, Creator 