Thursday, September 29, 2005
Overview
Problem: Oversleeping and over-consumption of caffeine.
Result: Lack of usable daytime hours, inability to function before 10 a.m., coffee addiction, having to give Julie $1 every time I yawn, etc.
Objective - The Questions:
How can we spend the minimum amount of time sleeping for maximum achievement during the day?
How can we want to drink coffee because it tastes so good, not because we absolutely need it.
What will it take for us to 'go to sleep once and wake up once' (to quote Serena)?
Wow. That was scientific sounding. I was spurred on by the tag line (an independent study) but really this won't be scientific at all. Just our little observations and whatever else we feel like posting on a whim. Did I say on a whim? I meant on this blog.
I say 'we' because I invited my dearest Serena to join and make this a team blog. Although really I think the idea is hers, but I presumptuously created this thing.
Here's why I am so interested all of a sudden:
I have energy against all reason.
This job I am doing right now requires me to get up at 5 and start an hour before the sun rises (don't worry about me too much, it's just for a few days). Naturally, I was dreading it. Besides the horrid hour, I am just getting over a cold. I slept for about 6 hours each night, although not soundly. Coughcoughcoughcoughcough.
Yet I have more energy than usual.
How is that possible?
So Serena - such a wise one she is - mentions something we learned from Dr.Cotton in our TESOL course. In teaching the Communicative Approach teaching technique, he said that the act of meeting people and seeing new faces is one of the most stimulating things for the human brain. It challenges the brain in such a way that encourages Beta brain waves, the most active level (There I go sounding all sciencey again - I just can't help it. Ha). This stimulation can be the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee!
The point?
The job I am doing right now is handing out samples at the C-Train stations, interacting with over 1000 people in just over two hours. Is this stimulating my brain enough to have energy (whilst ill) for an entire day so that I can't even get to sleep at night? Jane, the woman I work with, agreed that her energy level was unusually high after work yesterday. She also admitted to sniffing gasoline when she was young though so I'm not sure how credible her input is.
An additional question - is this because I am (apparently) an extrovert? Would an introvert react in the same way to this job?
It's all quite fascinating.
Result: Lack of usable daytime hours, inability to function before 10 a.m., coffee addiction, having to give Julie $1 every time I yawn, etc.
Objective - The Questions:
How can we spend the minimum amount of time sleeping for maximum achievement during the day?
How can we want to drink coffee because it tastes so good, not because we absolutely need it.
What will it take for us to 'go to sleep once and wake up once' (to quote Serena)?
Wow. That was scientific sounding. I was spurred on by the tag line (an independent study) but really this won't be scientific at all. Just our little observations and whatever else we feel like posting on a whim. Did I say on a whim? I meant on this blog.
I say 'we' because I invited my dearest Serena to join and make this a team blog. Although really I think the idea is hers, but I presumptuously created this thing.
Here's why I am so interested all of a sudden:
I have energy against all reason.
This job I am doing right now requires me to get up at 5 and start an hour before the sun rises (don't worry about me too much, it's just for a few days). Naturally, I was dreading it. Besides the horrid hour, I am just getting over a cold. I slept for about 6 hours each night, although not soundly. Coughcoughcoughcoughcough.
Yet I have more energy than usual.
How is that possible?
So Serena - such a wise one she is - mentions something we learned from Dr.Cotton in our TESOL course. In teaching the Communicative Approach teaching technique, he said that the act of meeting people and seeing new faces is one of the most stimulating things for the human brain. It challenges the brain in such a way that encourages Beta brain waves, the most active level (There I go sounding all sciencey again - I just can't help it. Ha). This stimulation can be the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee!
The point?
The job I am doing right now is handing out samples at the C-Train stations, interacting with over 1000 people in just over two hours. Is this stimulating my brain enough to have energy (whilst ill) for an entire day so that I can't even get to sleep at night? Jane, the woman I work with, agreed that her energy level was unusually high after work yesterday. She also admitted to sniffing gasoline when she was young though so I'm not sure how credible her input is.
An additional question - is this because I am (apparently) an extrovert? Would an introvert react in the same way to this job?
It's all quite fascinating.
// posted by britt @ 1:22 PM 
