Personal Blog Post #5
What could you live without?
If posed with the question: “what could you live without” most students could agree on a few options which are universally hated. There’s not one of my peers who hasn’t ranted about how they hate homework. But the biggest annoyance to my life as a student is what many others treasure the most: If I could choose one thing to eliminate from my life, it would be my need for sleep. Most people love the supposed period of peace and dreams. A reader could ask why I didn’t choose any of our other most basic needs: if I eliminated my hunger and thirst, I would have heaps of money. But sleep feels different. The solutions to hunger and thirst are as basic as they come. If your stomach is growling, fill it with food. If you are parched in class, ask to go to the water fountain. But when it comes to sleep, I feel like I can never win. These days, sleep and productivity seem to be on a scale, counterbalancing one another, making it impossible to have much of either.
It seems that I am never able to find the proper balance of work and sleep to make my brain function properly. This inability has particularly damaged me with quizzes and tests. The night before an exam or a quiz I will overstress and spend the whole night studying. Every single time I convince myself that I will get a sufficient amount of sleep. My mother frequently reminds me of how I need to rest for my mind to work well the next morning. I take her advice seriously, but every single time my desire to study outweighs my need to sleep. I probably go to sleep at 4 am when I feel completely comfortable with the material. But when I am actually in class the next day taking that test, my mind often goes blank. My lack of sleep suddenly grasps me. I feel drowsy and my memory feels like it is leaking: what was this formula? The problem felt so easy to me at 3 am but it suddenly seems foreign. I can never trust myself to fulfill one of my most elemental needs in the face of stress.
No matter how hard I have tried to escape the need for sleep, it inevitably catches up to me. There are dozens of proposed remedies to propel a snoozer throughout the day: 5 hour energy, Red Bulls, and the most conventional, coffee. Coffee has been my go-to energy defibrillator ever since I had trouble managing my sleep cycle. As I gulp down the sugary ambrosia, I feel immortal. I am revitalized with a fuel which will last me hours, and I no longer struggle to keep my eyelids open. Depending on how many cups I drink, there are times during the school day I will forget I am sleep-deprived altogether. But as soon as I get home, this potion loses all effect. I cannot explain why, but as soon as I step into my house, my body enters shutdown mode. I still have lots of homework to do, but that doesn’t matter now. No matter how much I try to replenish my energy, sleep catches up with me eventually.
If the biggest hindrance in my life was completely eradicated I feel that my efficiency would skyrocket. Sleepiness alone is a dreadful feeling. I remember watching the new James Bond movie last week with my friends, feeling frustrated by my sleep deprivation as I dozed off during the film’s climax. But I really could be scapegoating what I view as my biggest time waster as the root of all my problems. Without catching Z’s, perhaps my late nights would simply be filled by video games and Wikipedia deep dives. Until then, I can pinpoint the beginning of stress as the exact moment my eyelids begin to droop.
Typically when I think of answers to this prompt, I think more along the lines of phones or laptops. But, you took it in a completely unexpected direction, and I think that's a good thing. I personally like my sleep. I don't have trouble finishing my homework before bedtime, so I can always get a good night's sleep. But I can understand your reasons too. I know people that struggle with getting enough sleep and sleeping in class (I kind of sleep in class too sometimes), so all your points make sense to me. I especially liked the third paragraph because of how you said coffee was a "potion" and how your body enters "shutdown mode" after getting home. These kinds of things help make the essay more unique and fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI like what you did with the prompt; rather than giving an obvious response that wouldn't reveal much about you, you interpreted it in a way that allowed you to tell a more personal story. I find it interesting that you prioritize studying over sleep due to stress, because I always prioritize sleep over studying due to stress. You always seem very energetic, so I also found it interesting when you explain that you "crash" when you get home. I saw the work that you put into writing this and it really paid off.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of this question your answer is definitely not one of the ones that come to mind. However, everything you said made sense and I can completely relate to it as can many other students. You did really well of presenting a less common answer to the question and using your personal experience and conversational tone to get your message across. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think you transitioned between the different topics nicely; everything felt like it flowed and it didn't take me out of the reading process. The section where you described the effect of coffee was entertaining and your personality really shined through. I was a little confused by the ending of the essay, though. I feel like with a few more sentences of context, it could be munch clearer and funnier. Overall, great job.
ReplyDeleteI really like the direction you took. It’s definitely not a obvious answer, but it’s also one that pretty much everyone can relate to, and I think that makes it work really well. Your progression of ideas felt natural, and I enjoyed the humor and metaphors you used (especially in the third paragraph). Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Arjun, I like how you answered this prompt. Lack of sleep is something almost everyone can relate to, but since you literally can't live without it, I wouldn't think of it as a response. You did a good job showing how sleep affects your life, and you transition well between the intro, narration, and reflection. Nice job!
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