Mom’s Law of All-Nighters
A cautionary tail and life saving lesson from the family business.
Patience can grow. Love is endless. There is always more we can learn. But not everything a renewable resource.
I’ve been seeing article after article pop up on Medium.com that preach the “work till you drop, then work some more” attitude. This seems particularly ripe in the world of startups. I confess, I am old(fashioned) and grew up in an era of small business. I had to actually google “startup” not long ago. A new friend of mine is working for a startup and it seems she is working 24/7. From what she has said, that is just the way it is with startups.
There is nobody who worked or works harder than my mom did during the years of her career. My parents started and grew a small business. It became an industry staple. In fact, my parents are “taught” in university programs, they are featured in text books and they won an Emmy for one of their products.
One of the best lessons I learned from the family business I call ‘Mom’s Law of All-Nighters’.
I fell far from the maternal tree when it came to sleep cycles. I am a morning person. Early to bed, early to rise! My mom is a night person. Most of the emails I get from her are sent after midnight, and, in her retirement, we learned that she REALLY doesn’t want to hear from anyone in any way before 10am — at. the. earliest.
That said, during her career, my mom worked all hours, literally. 6am, 1pm, 10pm, 3am. No time was off limits and no space was un-napable. But she always said this:
We are born with a certain number of all-nighters in us. We don’t know how many and everyone is different. So use them up carefully because they’ll run out and then, well then you’re done.
Some of you are thinking “nah, I’m totally an all-nighter person. I can run them end-on-end as long as I power sleep for a few days later on”. Wrong.
Some of you are thinking “it’s okay, I’m just going to make this startup happen, then I’ll pay closer attention to balancing my daily life”. Wrong.
Some of you are thinking “I’m tough as nails, sleep is for wimps”. Wrong
Here are the tricks people turn to. Maybe you have tried them:
- Caffeine. Tried and true, and made incredibly accessible in this modern day of Keurig K-Cups and Starbucks at every corner.
- 5-Hour energy. Translated loosely as “caffeine”.
- Sugar. Yum. My mom used to keep what she referred to as “hard candy” in her car at all times, easily pop-able when she was too tired to drive.
- HVAC. Tired? Just crank up the air ‘till you are too cold to fall asleep.
- Christmas Trees. Well, when I was a teenager, that was a popular one, anyway. We’re talking speed. Precious little pills that pack a pleasant punch.
- Adderall, used like a Christmas Tree instead of as prescribed.
- Power Naps. Researchers recommend 15–20 minutes.
- Thomas Edison. Pack your light fixtures with the highest possible wattage and turn every single one of them on. Oh, and be sure your computer screen is set at it’s highest brightness.
- Nicotine. Eeeww. But it works.
- Hard seats. Or, just make yourself somewhat uncomfortable.
As with so many things, there are ramifications to these tricks. Caffeine, speed, nicotine, even that barely bearable uncomfortable chair — they all take a toll, physically and/or emotionally and/or mentally. And it’s not just a tole on you. The brutal habit of all-nighters takes a toll on your family and friends as well. They miss you — the real, organic, well-rested you.
And keep this in mind: Besides how lack-of-sleep effects your lifestyle, it also casts a dark shadow on your life itself. Lack of proper sleep can cause heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. “Short-term sleep deprivation affects heart function.” If that doesn’t get you to reconsider your all-nighter drive, how about this:
Lack of sleep dumbs you down.
Research (and I’d add, common sense) tells us that lack of sleep causes a decrease in memory and cognitive function.
And for my final argument, I will suggest that lack of regular, quality sleep can cause a person to be sort of a jerk. Shorten your sleep, shorten your fuse. Hello bad temper and poor attitude.
Now, a partial list of why you should go to sleep every night and get a good-night’s sleep:
- Improve memory and overall brain function.
- Clear your mind (literally). During REM sleep superfluous information is swept out.
- Improve mood. Wake refreshed.
- Maintain healthy eating cycles. Sleep is a far better way to earn energy than hard candy.
- Be in balance. We are built for balance in every way. Joy and sorrow, giving and taking, working and playing, and, yes, rest and wakefulness.
So, Mom’s Law of All Nighters…
If you are muscling through with all-nighters, you will run out. When you do, you may not realize it. You may still “stay up all-night”, grinding out your work, but the price will be far greater than you realize, like a deal with the devil. And when you realize you went past your quota it may be too late.
My advice of caution to you, the resolute All-Nighter, it’s not worth it. Whatever it is you are after, you can achieve it without this particular risk. Make sleep a habit. One that is not acceptable to abstain from. Sleep is like fresh fruit and love — they are essential for an exceptionally good life.
Sweet dreams.
I hope you find your perfect rest! Please ❤ my article so more people will find it!
I am Rachel Tawil Kenyon. Click on my profile for articles about living a balanced existence at work and at home.