Although most people think that writers don't work much, that we just sit with wine and words pour out of us, we know this is not the case.
In fact, in this modern age, not only do writers have to write, they have to take care of families and homes and their own book publicity.
What do we give up to get all this done? Sleep. And this often leads to sleep deprivation.
What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
(1) We can't handle stress - everything feels like work. Writing deadlines, that used to come and go with ease, will often cause panic. Finishing a blog post or keeping up with our blog roll can feel overwhelming.
(2) Our concentration and memory suffer - we can't focus. We can stare at a blank Word document and not know what we're going to write. We can't even remember when we left off the day before because without proper REM, our memories don't form well.
(3) Social media & book publicity suffers - without sleep, we're less friendly. Negative reviews cause us to leave nasty comments. We don't feel happy when others succeed.
(4) We get fat - when we're tired, we want to eat for energy. Because writers spend a great deal of time sitting, we have a greater risk of becoming over-weight or even obese.
(5) Creativity suffers - research suggests that sleep deprivation may have a particular effect on cognitive processes that rely on our experience of emotions. Writers rely on their creativity and so need sleep.
Need help with getting to or staying asleep? Try these tips for shutting off your brain before bedtime.
Source: Psychcentral.com
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Well, on that note, I'm going back to bed!!
ReplyDeleteFunny. people don't think I sleep, but believe me, I do sleep and I enjoy it.
Good sleep is so important for me! When I don't sleep well, it always weakens my immune system and I'm much more susceptible to getting colds. I rarely ever get sick as long as I let myself have good sleep!
ReplyDeleteHi Clarissa .. sleep is essential isn't it. I'm just getting my brain back to just me after the years with my mother and uncle and boy what a difference it makes. I'm sleeping better too ...
ReplyDeleteI might be able to read again soon ... Scholes Key has arrived and I'm so looking forward to reading it .. cheers Hilary
Oh, man... that creativity goes first, I think. I can do a lot of things when stressed or tired, but being creative isn't one of them.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI love to sleep (actually, mostly I love to dream) but I know I don't get good sleep due to stress. The hardest thing is not thinking about what's stressful, especially when I get reminders of it all the time.
ReplyDeleteSleep is up there in my top three things to do ever.
ReplyDeletemood
Napping is such a wonderful thing to do each day!
DeleteI'm going to start blaming a lack of sleep rather than getting old for my memory loss from now on.
ReplyDeleteVery good point! I think it's a sleep-deprived world right now. And I recently read a great post entitled "Writers Beware--Sitting is the Smoking of Our Generation."
ReplyDeleteSo true. Sometimes I'll write late into the night (score! Hello productivity!) but then I make up for it by being a zombie for two days afterwards. So not really sure it's a score after all.
ReplyDeletelately, lack of sleep is playing with my mind and health. We need sleep.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want to drop everything and go take a nap!
ReplyDeleteI certainly can relate to this. I'm late to bed every night, or close to it. Half the time, I'm looking for stuff on my computer and after a few seconds have no idea what I'm looking for. The statistics re people who sit a lot are scary.
ReplyDeletestress and fat.... two words we despise!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I am all over this one. With four kiddos, I've learned that sleep is a precious commodity I'm sorely lacking, at times. It's a vicious cycle, too. One can never catch up on sleep.
ReplyDeleteYeah, now try home schooling multiple kidoes on top of all that. White hair? Check. I ask myself daily, "And why am I doing this to myself? That's right--because I can't NOT." *sigh* It's a wonderful life, eh?
ReplyDeleteYup, I don't think I could give it up even if I wanted to.
DeleteOh I hope we all set aside quality sleeping time! Very important!! Take care
ReplyDeletex
PS) I just saw you're one of Spunky's Soldiers, too! YAY!! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope I don't let her down. It's going to be a busy and yet fun month.
DeleteTRUTH.
ReplyDeleteTrue. True. True. I know when I don't get enough sleep, because I can't focus and I stress over everything.
ReplyDeleteA good restful sleep is vital, no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteI love my power naps in the afternoon, especially when the night before I'm lying awake at night thinking about my stories, lol.
ReplyDeleteI am tired and I've suffered from the computer screen stare a lot today!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteHi! I found you on the AtoZ Challenge list. I'll definitely be stopping by throughout the challenge as I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm an insomniac so this post made me chuckle. If I get more than 4 hours of sleep, all everything you listed describes my behavior. I've basically got it all backwards. ;-)
Clarissa - You are so right about why writers need to get enough sleep! There are a lot of writers who are inspired by their dreams, so of course creativity goes down the proverbial tubes. And all those aches and pains from sitting and writing? They don't go away if you don't get enough sleep.
ReplyDeleteOh, C! I KNOW this is true. What a great post! and thanks for that link to shutting off the brain! I know when I was working on the first draft of my last book, I could tell SOMETHING was off. I was struggling w/#2 up there. And yep, sleep deprived. :P
ReplyDeleteget some rest~ ;o) <3
Actually after wine the words do just pour out of me - they don't make any sense though!
ReplyDeleteI have a #6 for you. You BITE the head off of anyone who looks at you funny!! :)
ReplyDeleteI needed this post today! I'm usually so very good at getting to bed early and rising with the sun, but the last few nights have been busy and restless. Ugh. I'm hardly getting anything productive done today. Think I'll crawl into bed straight after dinner tonight. Good to know it's not just me, I'm very much in a 'go away' mood today.
ReplyDeleteOh yes. Sleep is so important. I'm always wide awake at night and believe I could easily do another couple hours work. I have to force myself to get some sleep because I know how stressed/irritable I'll feel the next day.
ReplyDeleteThink I might go and take a nap now...
Absolutely! I probably *should* be sleeping at the moment, as I get hard hit by your #1 without a full night's sleep, but it's not midnight yet so I'm taking advantage of a little quiet time to blog. :)
ReplyDeleteStopping by via A to Z Challenge - sitting on Arlee's Ambassadors' Team, so I'll visit every week or so leading up to and through April. Look forward to reading more of your posts!
thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete