How To Keep Myself Awake For A Late Evening Course?

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Anusha2917, May 8, 2021.

  1. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    So I have taken up a course which starts at 9pm in the night and goes upto 12 30 am. 2.5 to 3hrs . It's a online live session. It's a very new subject to me and if there's anything I can do to understand it better is just be more attentive and make a lot of notes. But I'm facing trouble in being attentive through the course.
    So I feed my baby at around 8 pm put her to sleep and take a shower (to feel fresh ) , have a cup of tea (to control my sleep ) and sit for the course at 9pm. The first 15 20 mins there's general discussion etc and after that the teacher shares the actual ppt and the content starts. So by about 9 45 9 50 PM I find myself vv sleepy. I am just so so exhausted I am dozing off (one day I removed my head phones n went to the bed n slept at 9 42 ,woke up at 10 15 PM, next day I slept on the chair where I sit n take up the course, one day I had to sit on the bed n take up the course and I just couldn't control my sleep I slept off on the bed) .
    Every such sleep is lasting for 30 mins and this is breaking the flow and once I wake up I see myself totally lost and rest of the course content goes in understanding half information.
    Note that once I take this small nap I am able to sit through the course completely until 12 30 or 1am .
    This is not at all helping me.

    Also the course content is uploaded in the learning website next day at 10 Am and I again sit through, listen and make notes. But this is wasting my time a lot because there is not much time to listen to the content the next day as I have to finish the assignment and submit by evening.

    In 24 hrs I sleep for 5 to 5.5 hrs, rest of the time goes in looking after my 7m old, feeding, bathing , cooking etc. I cannot sleep much when she sleeps during day time because that's when I get time to do my assignment. If I spend time in watching the video next day I end up having less time for my assignment and I rush through the assignment and submit a shabby work and my mentor gives a comment to resubmit the assignment. So with the new assignment I'm loaded with previous re submissions.

    What can I do to avoid that sleepy 30 mins during the course? Any tips.

    I have read that having shower before sleep helps in sleeping better.. So is that 8 pm shower the culprit?

    I am also finishing my dinner by 7 pm so that I don't feel heavy at 9 pm.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
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  2. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Five hours of sleep, caring for a 7 month old baby, 4 hours of classes that go past midnight and assignments due every day? You’re playing life on hard mode! I don’t think the shower is the problem here. : )

    Is it possible to switch to a more manageable program? Saner hours, a few times a week? If there is no alternative and you are determined to get through this then I hope this is a short term program. A late evening nap (hour minimum) should help you stay up longer. Caffeine will help too. Getting sufficient sleep during the day will be critical. You can’t burn the candle on both ends. If you stay up until one, then you should plan on sleeping in. Since you have assignments to work on during the daytime meals and housework will need to be outsourced. This also means you will need help with the baby. Even with external support and careful planning this will be tough. It is a grueling schedule. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you find it unsustainable.
     
  3. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Gauri. The evening nap without a shower really worked as I woke up 30 mins before classes and had time to just finish dinner n be ready for the class.. Baby's night feed I outsourced to my MIL with expressed milk and also putting her to nap. A neat face wash before the start of class helped me. I just tweaked the schedule a bit and made sure I'm sleeping for a couple of hours during the day.

    It's a short term course for next 3m and classes are on alternate days. My MIL and mom do help me, so I'm not loaded with any cooking, cleaning etc. All I have to do is Cook for the baby, feed her n put her for naps ,she sleeps n plays with the grandparents and manage my studies.Husband helps with her bathing. With the pandemic n all the lock downs in place not able to apoint a nani..

    All I can say is I'm gaining momentum in effectively utilising my time in a better way! It's DOABLE with trusting my MIL :)
    Thank you.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2021
  4. Angela123

    Angela123 Gold IL'ite

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    First of all, thanks for posting this. i am facing exact same situation, as I am preparing for my licensing exams in October. I get home at 5pm after my job. My problem is I have no classes, but self study.

    Does walking around for 5 mins in between help? Is it a zoom class where you could attend on phone while walking? Set a timer for 30 mins and walk a few steps. I am targeting 10000 steps a day and I do this sometimes in between my work or in the evening in between the study when I feel sleepy

    Do you know the content for the day? For example, let's say there are 3 modules and you are familiar with one or you know one of them is less difficult, plan to watch video for that, and attend the session for rest of it.
    Probably not. I have seen H doing this to work until 1 am or so.

    Another trick I have used in class when feeling sleepy is eating peppercorns. Keep them handy and eat a few when feeling sleepy. It has worked for me.
     
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  5. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you Angela for mentioning few tips.. Will try peppercorns..

    It's a zoom class but it requires to be glued to the screen (preferably big screen) as there is a lot of explanation going on showing the charts. But yeah walking fot like 30-45 sseconds every 30 mins should not be a problem..

    Thank you for the tips and good luck for your Licensing exams.. :)

    Honestly I'm inspired by you.. Two kids, 1 as small as mine, work plus self studies... Not to forget you must be managing the other household work by yourself in the country you stay.. Requires a lot of dedication n discipline.. I'm inspired really.
     
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  6. Angela123

    Angela123 Gold IL'ite

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    Thanks for your kind words. I am sure a lot of mothers are doing the best they can during these times. H helps out a lot and I am a creature of habit and follow it diligently. but some days I give up.
     
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  7. mangaii

    mangaii Finest Post Winner

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  8. Needtobestrong

    Needtobestrong Platinum IL'ite

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    Very inspiring thread..
    Anusha, 5.5 hours of sleep are just not enough.. and looking after a small baby and BFing requires energy too...you need to take sufficient naps during daytime and make up for the lost sleep to be alert for your class...
    You mentioned that the classes are on alternate days, so you need to catch up with sleep on the days you dont have classes.
    A shower with hot water is very relaxing and actually makes you sleepy and relaxed...maybe you could wash your face with cold water. next time, take up a course with daytime classes so that you can get sound sleep at night.
    Youre quite lucky to get support of both mother and MIL during this course.
     
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  9. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    @Anusha2917,

    Your determination to do a course while tending to your 7 months old is remarkable! I have the following suggestions for you:

    1) Apart from 5.5 hours of sleep in the night, try to take a power nap (even if it is for 30 minutes to an hour in the afternoon when your baby is sleeping.

    2) Wherever you are attending the late-night course, put the lights (high voltage lights) on much before the class starts. The mind is trained to induce sleep when you are in a darker room for a long time.

    3) A long day of work will automatically induce sleep, I thought. But I was suffering from insomnia and I started taking shower an hour before I went to bed. I have implemented it for the past 10 years and it worked like a dream to give me a wonderful sleep.

    4) Advance your dinner time to 6 p.m. so that there is no effort made by your body to digest food when you are in the class.

    5) Make black coffee in a flask and keep drinking it before and during the class but no later than an hour before the class ends. If you take coffee too late, you may lose 5 to 5.5 hours of sleep that you are currently having. It is essential for you to sleep well at night in order to keep doing so much of the activities.

    6) Take a small walk during the class to break the monotonous action of listening to the class if you can have a wireless headset listening to the lecture.

    7) Sometimes, a snack can help break the sleep as you get distracted from sleep when you are attempting to take the snack in small quantities.

    8) Even small parallel activity that doesn't require complete concentration may be a good idea to do during the class such as polishing the nails. Those activities also distract you from sleep.

    My best wishes.
     
  10. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you for the pointers.

    Note: I love such pointers. Very helpful.Easy to understand and you can come back and re read n number of times .
     
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