Can’t Sleep? Try Staying Awake Instead
By: Dylan Chia
Tags: Insomnia, Sleep, Inspiration, Productivity, Help

Can’t Sleep? Try Staying Awake Instead

An unorthodox way to deal with your insomnia

Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash

We’ve all gone through periods of sleeplessness before. Regardless of whether it’s caused by external factors like discomfort or internal factors like stress, the experience of not being able to shut down for the night can weigh heavily on us the next day.

While most people would think of persevering and encouraging your body to fall asleep (any minute now, you can do it, Brain!), why not try doing the opposite and attempt to stay awake instead?

Yes, I know it sounds silly, but hear me out. Imagine that it’s currently 3 in the morning. You've been tossing and turning around in bed for the past 4 hours (since going to bed at 11) trying to fall asleep but to no avail. You have to get up at around 6 anyway, so would continuing on this path be wise when you’re going to have under 3 hours of sleep?

Based on my experience (and probably yours as well, assuming you've experienced nights with fewer hours of sleep than you can count on one hand), you’re probably going to end up feeling similar levels of dread once it’s time to get up. Whether it’s 2 hours of sleep or none at all because of insomnia, the end result (purely in terms of the sensation) will be similar.

Hence, why not put those few hours to use instead? You could start working on that presentation due at the end of the week, write some email drafts for the meeting later, or even watch that movie you've always wanted to but never found time for.

I mean, since you can’t sleep and probably don't have time to anyway, think of this as the next best thing to do. Sure you could try to fall asleep, but given that you’ve failed for the past couple of hours, how will the next few be any different? You might as well do something in the meantime.

What you do doesn't matter, as it doesn't have to be productive. You can think of those extra hours as more “me time” to spend on what you want. This allows you to occasionally squeeze more hours into your day and give you the opportunity to do the things you've always wanted to.

Another benefit (if you can call it a benefit) is that you won’t feel groggy after waking up because you never slept, and while you’ll definitely feel sleepy afterward. Some coffee and/or snack breaks should give you some short bursts of energy to last until the day is over. Then (and also the best part of this), you can have an early night, where you’ll definitely have less trouble falling asleep. You’ll also finally be able to enjoy the best sleep you’ve had(in two days anyway).

However, this isn't something that should be attempted often. Neither should it be your goal if it’s still early on in the night, as you still have time to get a decent amount of sleep.

If your insomnia does persist, do see a doctor and be open to taking sleeping aids. Your quality of sleep might decrease, but any sleep is still better than no sleep. At the end of the day (or night in this case), I hope this results in some interesting alternatives for you to consider the next time you’re suffering from insomnia.