As I sit here writing at 4:00 A.M., I am trying to rest.
Earlier, I accidentally forgot to take my medication to sleep since I was so tired.
Taking your medication for various conditions, whether it is bipolarity, diabetes, or HIV is a strong necessity. You can barely get away with missing a dose, because the side effects will kick in… instantly. I can go to bed just like anyone else can. In fact, I can probably fall asleep quicker than the average Joe. But this sleep is meaningless if I have not taken my medication.
Before I began to write this piece, I had just woken up, and felt as though I had not slept at all. I decided to close my eyes at 11:00 P.M. and took my medication, and I am now waiting for the medication to take its course. So more than likely, I will fall asleep around 5:00 A.M. Yep, that’s right. You see, my medication usually makes me fall asleep within 30 minutes to an hour of taking it.
McAfee:”I have always been a very active person and enjoyed being a member or leader of various organizations, but time management became even harder…”(IvelinRadkov/ iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
You can’t even imagine how this impacted me during college. Well, as you probably are aware, college is tough even for many people who are confident enough to take up its challenges. It is a time for furthering your education; solidifying your identity; and figuring out how to manage stress with all of the sporadic assignments or life stresses that come your way.
I have always been a very active person and enjoyed being a member or leader of various organizations, but time management became even harder when I had various papers, and when I was required to attend an important meeting late at night.
There was a constant dilemma going on in my head…
Should I take the medication now or later?
Many times, professors would give you an unanticipated lengthy assignment due within a couple of days when you had also signed up to attend an important event. School should have always come first, but pulling the infamous all-nighter took on a different meaning for me.
Luckily, I never had to drink a red bull or coffee to remain awake. In fact, those drinks had the opposite effect on me; they would make me even more fatigued! One can make the argument that being able to stay up for many hours can aid you in college. Indeed, this may be true in the short run, but it’s definitely not in the long run.
I could turn in a paper knowing beforehand that if I wanted to stay up, I could by delaying the time I took my medication. An economist may suggest that this marginal benefit exceeded the marginal cost. But I dare to say that it did not.
Being on a regiment is very important to remain healthy for people with bipolar. Working out, taking your medication, and going to bed around the same time everyday is ideal. But just like working out, it can be easy to fall off a regiment or miss a day.
As humans, we are prone to making mistakes, and this is why I will be sleeping in late today. I hope my story and the insights I have gained through my life experiences will somehow positively impact others who are also having to overcome similar situations, and provide more insight to millions who are trying to overcome situations like this as well…
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