Due to living a long way away from my university and having commitments at home, I do most of my MSc work from home, I go into university twice a week generally. I have always done this and generally it works for me, I will be doing this when I start my PhD later this year as well.

The main problem that I have always had, and that appears to be getting worse lately, is that I feel really sleepy at certain times of day. If I have been to work in the salon until 12, like today and Thursday it will be about 3pm before I go to the horse at 5ish, if I have the day off it will be at about 1pm. I feel like I need to sleep and it's almost uncontrollable, I go to have a quick lie down and I generally sleep for about 45 mins, get up feeling a bit groggy, have a coffee then I'm ok, in fact better and more productive.

I tend to work quite late nights, particularly at busier times and I have to get up early in the morning to see to my horse so I guess it could be my body's way of making up for it. If I'm out or at university I feel a little tired aound 2pm, but just have a coffee and I'm fine. I probably drink too much coffee/tea, but I drink a lot of water as well.

I really want to stop having these power naps though, as they make me feel guilty and lazy, and they're becoming harder to avoid, it's like I know when I'm going to get really sleepy and worry about it.

Does anyone else have this problem, or have any suggestions about alleviating it??

Thanks, Natassia xx

To be honest I think you're doing completely the right thing and wouldn't suggest you change at all! It's pretty much how I did most of my PhD - work when I felt most alert and the inspiration would hit. Sometimes I'd do probably only about 20 hours work in a week - others I would do 80. Sometimes I'd work in the middle of the night. Other times I would be up early. Do whatever you find best and don't change just because you think it's wrong. If it's getting you results, then keep going!

Thanks Dan, I think that's the right way of looking at it, like now I'm really wide awake and working well, but I want to try to get to bed by 12. I would just like to have a bit more control over my power napping, and I really wouldn't want to do it more than once a day. I suppose I get about 6 hours sleep a night so that 45 mins during the day is my way of getting more sleep. I think that if I didn't have to get up early for the horse/work in the morning I would be much more of a night-time worker, but I try to stop by 1am at the latest.

Hi Natassia,

I was like that during my undergrad degree- I always had to have a nap around 4:30pm, then I'd get up feeling a bit groggy but would then have my tea. I think it was because I had a bit of a messed up sleeping plan- I need a lot of sleep, but I would stay up until around 1am, then get up at 8am (which wasn't enough sleep for me!), so that extra npa in the day was needed.

Now, I'm generally in bed my 11pm - I stop working before tea, then have a relaxed evening to myself, so by 11pm I'm ready for bed. I get up at about 8ish every morning, and have never had a nap in the day since I started my MA! Maybe think about getting a bit more sleep at night? I could never work until 1am!

But even so, I do still get tired in the afternoon, around 3pm, I'm just never tired enough for a nap. But I get around that by doing my productive work in the morning, like writing, and then spend the afternoon doing easier work.

Sorry, that's all a bit jumbled, but I hope it helps!

I find I cannot drink coffee before 12, otherwise I'm zinging around my office not being able to concentrate. I also avoid stodgy lunches, because I go all sleepy afterwards. I always make sure I take about an hour for lunch - 30 mins to walk the dog and 30 mins to sit and eat away from my pc.

I wish I could nap, I just can't - I'd just lie there awake for hours.

Dear Natassia, first of all I agree that you should do what feels right. At least until the PhD is out of your way. But the fact that you don't wake up from these power-naps feeling refreshed without the aid of coffee might be a sign of your body not getting what it needs?

I'm a typical nocturnal, but a bit of a weirdo when it comes to sleeping patterns; I gave up trying to work it out in the end. I sleep too little usually, not a creature of habit, but it doesn't bother me in theory. But I used to get these sleepy phases during the day. I cannot nap for the life of me, no way. Caffeine made things ok briefly but made me even more hyper and shaky. So because I tried regulating sleeping patterns and it didn't work, "not feeling sleepy during the day" was my target regardless of how much sleep I get at night. I realized these sleepy feelings were not related to being tired. Over a month ago I completely stopped caffeine, changed what I eat during the day (now only more frequent light stuff to keep energy levels stable), and stopped exercising in the late-afternoon (so it's either in the morning or evening now). I no longer feel sleepy during the day. Maybe you too can look into these things?

Thanks for the replies - it's interesting to find out about other people's work patterns, I don't feel so out of sync with everyone else now!

I think the trouble is I have to fit my work in around everything else, although I always prioritise my MSc work I work part time according to shifts, which are 2 mornings a week and all day Sunday, so I'm working in the afternoons then. I also have to see to my horse twice a day and those times can't really be changed much. I get 2 days working from home a week generally, but will be more once the taught part of my MSc is over in 2 1/2 weeks (has gone crazily quickly!). So I generally work every evening, unless I have had a really busy day at uni and I am exhausted, and I try to go out one night a week as well. I love my working from home days though, less pressure really.

Now I feel quite perky still but if I went to bed now I would be able to sleep, but I think I can get a bit of writing done so will do that, nothing too difficult though. I'm wondering whether working late is affecting the quality of my sleep though. I exercise once a day riding the horse and that really helps me to focus, if I've exercised in the morning I find I'm less likely to need to sleep in the afternoon. I'd like to be able to give up caffeine, and probably should reduce my sugar intake as well, but I like the taste of coffee and have a sweet tooth so that may be difficult! I may be a bit anaemic as well again though, I have had that before so do need to keep an eye on my iron intake. Despite that, I do eat quite healthily and don't skip breakfast, I will try to eat more little and often though, I think blood sugar levels could play a part here. I have read before that it's quite normal to feel tired late in the afternoon as well, it doesn't seem to be just me anyway.

Nxx