Remember that saying about early to bed, early to rise? How it makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise? I’m not sure about the wealthy aspect, unless you’ve signed up for some kind of sleep experiment. But I absolutely recognize that a good night’s rest keeps grades up and sickness at bay.
Lately, though, I’ve been struggling with the “early to bed.” Only a month into the semester and I’m sleep-deprived, walking around like Mr. Bean in “Rat Race.” I often find myself halfway lying on the person sitting next to me during class. Thankfully it’s usually my friend Katelyn I’m leaning on. With an embarrassed laugh, I tell her, “I’m sorry. I’m just so exhausted.”
I really, really am. You know what I’m talking about: eyes-burning, stomach-churning, head-bobbing, so-tired-I-want-to-die — preferably in Egyptian cotton — fatigue.
And every time I zone out I think, “Why have I done this to myself?”
Part of the problem is workload. There are plenty of papers to write, stories to read and tests to study for — certainly more than in high school. I’ve also got my responsibilities to Edge and The Knight.
The bigger part of the problem is distraction. Late at night when I’m reading on my Kindle or aimlessly clicking around the Internet, I tell myself, “Just one more chapter. Just one more episode of ‘House.’ Just one more funny cat video.”
Suddenly it’s 2 a.m. Oops.
Cut to my French class the following morning and I look like an extra on “The Walking Dead.”
Obviously I can’t go on as is for the next three years, so what’s the plan? Block YouTube after 11 p.m., for starters.
I came across a nifty app for Macs called Anti-Social, which locks you out of social websites like Facebook and Twitter for a set amount of time. The only way around the block is to restart your computer. You can also choose additional sites to block (see: Pinterest). A registered version costs $15, so I’ll probably break down and buy it.
I should also load up on lavender-scented pillow mist. A friend from home bought me some for my birthday last year. If Dreamland were more than just a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, it would smell like this.
Then getting my homework out of the way should be no problem, right?
All of this is so much easier said than done, but for the sake of my health, wealth and wisdom — as well as my neighbors’ personal space — I have to try.
