Sleepless Nights

Working the midnight shift at any job while being a full-time student during the day can get very tiring. It isn’t just because you are working your butt of either, essentially you are forcing your body to push through its will to sleep, you are losing even more energy than you could be gaining in those precious hours all because you need the money to continue thriving. There are long term effects as well though! Just because you only work two or three midnight shifts a week does not mean that the rest of those nights will be any more restful. Say, for instance; you work two midnights in a row. The first night you are going to start dozing off towards the end of your shift, it will be difficult to stay awake but you will push yourself to do it. The second night, having already been through the same events the night before; your body has a central idea of its demands and will increase adrenaline and other energy levels so that you are fully awake and ready to take on any task that may come your way! That’s great! You can stay awake and not be encountered with an angry supervisor because you were caught sleeping in the boiler room. But then the third night comes. You don’t have to stay up for work but that doesn’t mean your body has not already somewhat adjusted itself to do so. You toss and turn in your bed, contemplation of other things you could accomplish in this time come to mind but you stay in your soft and warm cushioned and blanketed bed instead. Counting sheep doesn’t help, heck even singing the periodic table song doesn’t bore you into a slumber state. Half of the night will pass before your body realizes you have not been using the energy it stored away for you and it releases the proper proteins to induce sleep instead. By now you won’t have enough time to get a full night’s rest before you have your morning classes but at least you managed to fall asleep. Four nights in, you will still be rather energized but you will begin to rest at a more reasonable hour. By the fifth night you will be back to routine just so you can have to do it all over again in two more nights. YAY for adulting!!!!!!