Katawa Shoujo Forums

You might say that I am feeling RIN-SPIRED.

Punning aside, I've been getting maybe five hours of sleep a night, on average (usually less), for several years now. My typical day involves one to three generic energy drinks (Red Bulls are too expensive) just to stay productive. I have become more cranky and less focused and interesting as the years have gone by.

This is bad. I doubt I'll have a heart attack, as the men in my family tend to live goddamn forever despite our best efforts, but what kind of life is it to be so high-strung all the time? I have other stuff going on, I know, but a lack of sleep and an inability to just calm the heck down doesn't help things.,

If anybody else wants to chill with me, here we go.

>have cold
>take ALL the cold medication
>kiss anyone that checks up on your sick ass
>????
>profit

Hey man, just a tip - you need to completely cut off the energy drinks - it is a vicious cycle. It is an addiction similar to coffee but much stronger - research indicates coffee doesn't make you more alert it just drags you into a cycle where you feel less alert when you go without coffee and drinking some just brings you back to normal level. More than two coffees a day and/or drinking coffee less than 8 hours before sleep also completely ruin your sleeping pattern. Drinking many energy drinks is the same thing taken to the extreme - it is a miracle you manage to get 5 hours of sleep, if anything. If you stop drinking energy drinks you will have really rough 1-2 months where you will feel like a rag all day everyday, but eventually your body will clear it all out and you will regain normal sleeping pattern. I used to have 4-5 cups of coffee a day and had really bad sleep, now I have cut it to two and my sleep has returned to normal in the matter of a couple of months. Also, I don't think Rin is the best example - if and when she discovers energy drinks she will have them all the time . Hope that helps!

Just to give you my view:

This is my on my 'early shift':

0500: Get up
0600: Shift starts
0700: Eat and drink something... usually an orange and coffee, sometimes something more.
1100: Lunch
1400: Shift ends
1445: Get home
1500: Double Vodka Redbull if I feel really, really tired
2030: Get into bed with intention of actually lying down to sleep in the next 20 mins
etc

Point? Go to bed sooner. Yes, it sucks balls to be going to bed at 8pm, especially at this time of year when it's still very bright outside. That frustration is nothing compared to that anger and loathing when I wake up at 5am if I *haven't* had a decent night's sleep. Don't bitch and moan about your sleep pattern, it will change to suit what you need it to, and you need to just tough it out for the first few days while you get used to it.

I don't know when you have to be up for, but energy drinks are not a solution. They're a crutch, and by guzzling them down you're doing yourself a disservice: first because of the health issues they bring, and second because of the fact you won't respond as well to them when you really need them. I only ever drink Vodka redbull if (as per above) I feel really, really REALLY tired. Anything less and I just power through it by doing something to take my mind off my fatigue and knowing that when the appropriate bedtime comes, I will be tired. I only ever drinking any other energy drink when I am having to make a long drive after one of those early shifts.

Yes, it's hard as hell to calm down, especially when you know you're due in early and need a proper night's sleep. I have that all the time. Exercise to physically tire yourself, think about something else, crack one off, but for goodness sake don't try to prop yourself up with energy drinks forever.

LISTEN TO NUJABES

All i have to say. I get stressed out quickly, by my parents, school, work,etc. but this helps stop me from getting riled up.

Its almost therapeutic really

WorldlyWiseman wrote:You might say that I am feeling RIN-SPIRED.

Punning aside, I've been getting maybe five hours of sleep a night, on average (usually less), for several years now. My typical day involves one to three generic energy drinks (Red Bulls are too expensive) just to stay productive. I have become more cranky and less focused and interesting as the years have gone by.

This is bad. I doubt I'll have a heart attack, as the men in my family tend to live goddamn forever despite our best efforts, but what kind of life is it to be so high-strung all the time? I have other stuff going on, I know, but a lack of sleep and an inability to just calm the heck down doesn't help things.,

If anybody else wants to chill with me, here we go.

Well the reason why you're so high-strung is because of all the caffeine that you drink.
But I feel you. Coffee is like an instant motivation-maker; suddenly everything is more fun and you get more short-term pleasure out of everything.
I can't really advise but I can state the facts: you can either lay off the coffee and try to do stuff without it (it might be hard) or you can keep doing what you're doing. It won't kill you, but there'll always be downsides about drinking three energy drinks everyday (like you stated).
Tell us later how it goes!

I used to drink coffee very often. It wasn't uncommon to stay awake a night I chugged like 3 mugs of coffee, normally one with milk, the other with sugar and the third one just black, and not necessarily on that order. I drink coffee since I was 5 years old. It's not a surprise that I always had and still have erratic sleeping patterns.
I currently quit that habit of drinking coffee at night, because not only it doesn't help you to stay awake and alert (like Kielox already explained) but also it makes you more nervous, stressful, twitchy, and I myself started having stress related alergic reactions, seemingly infinite dandruff and god knows what else.
I still drink coffee but very sparsely and only in the mornings (if I can wake up that early) or when I don't have time for a proper lunch, to get a boost of calories.

Currently I replaced that habit with tea, probably influenced by KS and some anime. A well made tea beats coffee anyday.

I still have erratic sleeping patterns but I'm more relaxed than before.

random wrote:>have cold
>take ALL the cold medication
>kiss anyone that checks up on your sick ass
>????
>profit

That makes me wonder what happensin the other timelines when it's likely Emi checking up on her...

Helbereth wrote:That makes me wonder what happensin the other timelines when it's likely Emi checking up on her...

Something wonderful.


Gonna second the notion to lay off the damned energy drinks. It's fucking poisonous. (Granted, I too drink a decent amount of coffee, but that's apples and toxic oranges.)

This isn't rocket science, just get some decent sleep.

nemz wrote:This isn't rocket science, just get some decent sleep.

You've obviously have never had prolonged periods of bad sleep.
When your sleep is severly disrupted IT IS rocket science to get back on track.
"With insomnia, nothing's real. Everything's far away. Everything's a copy of a copy of a copy." Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club.

Total Destruction wrote:

Helbereth wrote:That makes me wonder what happensin the other timelines when it's likely Emi checking up on her...

http://shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/image/1537

Try staring at clouds.

Surprisingly, it does clear your mind...

random wrote:

Total Destruction wrote:

Helbereth wrote:That makes me wonder what happensin the other timelines when it's likely Emi checking up on her...

http://shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/image/1537

Things you can't un-see...

My friend was in hospital two weeks ago, having overdosed on energy drinks. I would really recommend being extremely careful - admittedly she is slight and short, so it would have been a greater dose per unit body mass, but I wouldn't wish that condition on anyone. I'm sorry for being so evasive, but I'm pretty sure she'd kill me just knowing I've said this much ^^