Post Game Update

12:39 a.m.
I got back from the football game around 11:00 o’clock and I was never once tired at all.  This could be because the two friends that I went with and I were in a bit of a silly mood and we kept each other awake well enough. 

The game was enjoyable even though our somewhat home team got destroyed 44-16.  It was embarrassing but still a good time.

As promised I worked on a project tonight; one that I have been putting off for months for no real good reason.  I will post a photo of how far I am tomorrow if I can find a single camera in this house that works. 

The first play of the game!

I think when it’s said that these types of sleep cycles make you more creative, they refer to the arts that depend on a spontaneous element.  By that I mean music and sculpture or painting.  If the art however needs serious thought and preplanning (writing a novel, realistic art) it becomes much harder to do at night.  The reason I say this is because A couple nights ago I attempted to continue a story I had previously started.  My brain couldn’t continue the story fluidly and I gave up.  Tonight however, at about midnight, I worked on the visual work that should be posted soon.  I found that I was much more creative, took risks more often and added an edge that otherwise could have been omitted. In summary, I think these sleep cycles help art that relies on emotion and reaction and hinders art that is dependent upon forethought and precise requirements.

Lastly I would just like to comment on my physical and mental state.  There is nothing significant to note.  However I feel that I am more alert tonight than I was last night.

Pre Football Game

3:23 p.m.
I’m about to head out to Hamilton for the third time in three days.  Today it’s to catch a Canadian football game with my friend.  We are going to see the Tiger-cats play and I’ll be getting picked up in about ten minutes.

My afternoon rest period went fine.  Initially I was worried because it took about ten minutes to fall asleep but I eventually dozed off and only awoke to the sound of my alarm.

This morning and afternoon I started some art and I’m excited about that.  I’m considering opening another page on the blog for my artwork that I complete during this experiment.  I have heard that these sleep cycles are supposed to make you more creative.  We’ll see.

I know it doesn't look like much now but hey, I just started

Still no side effects.  I only hope that tonight and tomorrow morning go along as scheduled.

Some Bumps Along The Way

6:19 a.m.
Again I did it this morning.  I woke up at five a.m. when my alarm went off then I lied down and fell asleep until six.  Yesterday I was okay with it but today I’m frustrated.  This needs to stop as sleeping for an extra hour a day is not part of the experiment and is cheating.  Tomorrow I will have to get up and walk around like I mentioned earlier.
 
I also fell asleep half an hour early last night so that’s upsetting as well.  I guess I spoke too soon when I said that this project was going well and it was easy.  As of now, I have gotten up at the right time two of the four mornings.  I have went to bed three of the five nights.  These are not good numbers. 
  
I guess I should keep in mind that I have read that it takes ten days to fully switch over sleep cycles. This had been my goal before but I had just been thinking that it would take ten days to not be really tired in the day.  I’m not sure if they meant ten days to be able to fall asleep and get up on time.
  
I don’t want to speak too soon but it appears that the afternoon rest period is the only one that has been constant for me.  This at least, is a good sign.
  
I’m not experiencing any physical or mental side effects at this point.  I’m just frustrated with myself that I haven’t been able to stay up and then get up when I have needed to.  If you guys have any suggestions you can tweet me or let me know in the comments.

After Graduation, Before Bedtime

11:15 p.m.
And I’m back once again.  The graduation ceremony went well; the speeches were good, the auditorium was nice and the ceremony was polished.  I wasn't tired at all tonight except about five minutes during the ride home.  This is kind of expected though since I was driving in the dark. 

The city of Hamilton at night

Right now I am a tad tired but it’s barely noticable.  Hopefully this trend continues and my alertness at night increases so that I am able to get some side projects finished up.  I’m still not mentally ready to begin the other projects this late at night but I promise that tomorrow I will definitely give it a try.

As of now I feel a little worn out but that’s it.  I would kind of expect this anyway since I was around people all day and this drains my energy.  I did not think that this experiment would be so easy.

I am going to try to throw another post up tonight since it’s still relatively early for me. If not there will definitely be a post early tomorrow morning as there always is.

Pre Graduation Ceremony

2:55 p.m.
Just a quick update before I head over to my girlfriends graduation ceremony.  I had my third afternoon nap today and I think my body is starting to get the idea.  I fell asleep fairly fast and I slept well for about forty minutes until my pastor came and did some rugby drills and worked on technique with my brother and his teammate.  I fell asleep again easily though and slept until my alarm went off.
  
I didn’t feel tired this morning at any point at all so that’s good to see.  I’m thinking that if I continue to be this awake throughout the day I will try cutting out the nap and sleep for four hours at night.  This would be in the middle of the summer and if everything goes well.
  
I am completely physically and mentally fine.  My only concern at this point is staying awake and alert at night.

The Third Morning

6:43 a.m.
This morning I woke up at five o’clock on schedule but then I lied down in my bed and fell asleep to six.  I didn’t mean to do this but my body must have still been tired from last night.  It’s an odd feeling when you say to yourself that you should go to bed earlier so that you can wake up on time but then realize that you actually can’t.
  
I don’t think that this will effect the experiment that much as it was only an hour in the morning.  I am however annoyed with myself because this could have been avoided.  As soon as I turn my alarm off I should walk around the house because firstly it wouldn’t allow me to go back to bed and secondly it would probably wake me up.
  
I feel completely rested.  I missed my run this morning but I’m not entirely upset because my legs have been so sore from yesterday and the day before that.  I am however annoyed that I’ve yet to gone to the gym.  Looking it up, my runs have been about three miles and the gym is four miles.  I’ll try to run there tomorrow morning and take the bus home.  Hopefully everything goes to plan.
  
As far as my body is, everything is good.  No headaches, shakes, stomach aches, light headedness.  I feel completely fine and alert.

Post Prom Update

11:44 p.m.
That is the most tired I have been at any time for this experiment.  I had attended prom in Hamilton, Ontario and on my way home I could have easily fallen asleep within ten seconds at any given time.  I was so tired that it was a physical struggle to stay awake.  The transition from the car to being inside my home has waked me up a bit.

Earlier today I mentioned that this project was going too well and it was boring.  The struggle I believe will be at night.  Throughout the day it isn’t too challenging to stay awake because I’m doing things but at night it’s different.  I’m not up and about or working on anything.  Tonight I began to feel tired at about ten thirty.  This has been the case with the two previous nights as well.  I hope that being fully awake from ten thirty to one is something that I can achieve.

Me and my beautiful girlfriend before prom

Prom was fun.  The food was good and the people were social.  Being an introvert though, my energy was drained pretty fast and that could play a huge role in the amount of tiredness I experienced before. 

Up until ten thirty though I was completely alert and ready to go.  This will prove a big challenge to tonight.  I hope that I can stay up until one o’clock.