Hello everyone in the wonderful hive blockchain. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the weather wherever you are. Once again, I'm grateful to the hive learners community for their amazing initiatives.
The hive learners community has again presented us with another amazing topic and I'm glad to be participating in it.
Growing up, I was the kind of kid that hated sleeping late. I loved sleeping very early and waking up early to go to school. My mom taught us the importance of good sleep and why we should inculcate that habit. “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” my mom brought us (my siblings and I) up with this saying.
Early to bed, early to rise was my habit when I was in elementary school and even in the early years of high school. I grew up in a Catholic home. We attend church services every morning (we call it morning mass). Over here morning services are by 6 am. My siblings and I slept very early (the maximum time we were allowed to stay up was 8 pm) so we'd wake up very early the next morning for church service. We would wake up around 5 am. Brush, bathe, dress up for school, and go to church.
This was my habit until I got to SSS3 (Senior Secondary School 3 (grade 12), my last year in high school. My year in high school was very stressful. Asides from the school mock exam that every student must pass in other to qualify to remain in that class (students who failed that exam repeated the class), we also prepared for three major exams; JAMB/UTME (you have to pass this exam before you can gain admission into any university of your choice), WAEC (West African Examination Council, and NECO (National Examination Council)
The school management told us these exams determine our “future” and that we should do everything to make sure we succeed.
I took those words to my head and held them tightly. My siblings told me the best thing is to pass the exams the very first time I try it because it is not always very easy the second time.
My sleeping routine changed totally when I started reading for these exams. I started sleeping very late. My friends and I had a WhatsApp group where we solved past questions. After solving past questions, I’d read my books until I fell asleep (around 2 am). I stopped going to morning masses because I woke up very late in the morning.
When I passed the exams and graduated from high school, I thought everything was over. But it turns out I was very wrong. Pretty wrong. The moment I graduated from high school unlocked another level of “late nights”
Some people stay up late at night due to their work, while others stay up late at night due to their studies. Some people don't even sleep at all (or sleep for a few hours due to their work). Although this has negative effects, most of us don't have a choice.
Is there anything I do so I can stay up late at night
I have a friend who studies medicine and surgery at the university. This guy reads a lot. Although I don't know anything about medicine and surgery because I'm not in that line, I do know it is quite a difficult course and it is for serious-minded people (people that read like there's no tomorrow).
We attended the same secondary school and he was brilliant but not the type that “read” a lot. But things changed when he got to the university. He started reading every night. He uses NESCAFE (a brand of Nestle coffee) to stay up all night.
My body system is different. I'm built differently. Unlike my friend who uses NESCAFE to stay up to read all night, all I need to do is to sit properly and use my reading table. With that, I can go for hours without feeling sleepy.
I don't need Nescafe or any other coffee-related drink to stay awake. I have conditioned my body so I don't sleep off. That is why reading tables and chairs are very important for me. I can't do without them.
I remember my first year at university. As you all know the first year at the university is very important and one needs to be serious about it. My siblings told me how much I needed to work hard to boost my GPA (Grade Point Average).
I learned something important during my first six months at the university. Before I discovered the importance of reading tables and chairs, I used to try different tricks to stay awake. Nescafe didn't really work for me. Well, it worked to an extent. But I didn't like the way it was affecting me. So I had to find a different method.
I also tried using a well-known trick that I learned from my seniors when I was in boarding school in high school. The trick is quite funny. Deep one of your legs into a bucket filled with water and the other one should be on the ground (some people deep both legs into the water). The day I tried this technique, I slept off like a baby. In fact, I had one of the best sleep ever.
Exercising/bathing before reading is another technique that didn't work for me. Finally, my mom introduced me to reading tables and chairs. And when I got them, I discovered I could read for hours without using anything.
My life as a blogger on hive blockchain has also made me sleep late on many occasions. There are times when I had to sleep very late, working on a post or engaging with other members on hive and other websites.
In conclusion,
Some of us don't really have a choice but to sleep late. I know a lot of people on this blockchain that sleep for just a few hours (not even up to 4 hours a day). Even though we don't have a choice, we should try to balance everything (I know this is not very easy to do). Find a way to achieve work-life balance.
As a student, it is very important to plan well. Make a good timetable and get the best out of it.