No, really, I mean it. I'm part time and I have two or three days a week which I try to devote to my PhD and during those days I seem totally unable to stop napping. It's as though after an hour or so of writing, my brain starts shutting down and I have to nod off again for a bit. I'm not like this when I'm doing my job and strangely I'm not like this when I'm relaxing. Do other PhDers sleep a lot in the daytime or should is it time for a trip to the doctor?!!

I think I understand where you are coming from. I don't sleep in the day but sometimes if I am completely snoozy at around half four (slump time) then I will have half an hour timed nap, get up have a coffee and work through till 7. Generally though if there is no reason for it I go out and exercise - not exercising makes me sleepy! I used to sleep a lot at uni as an undergrad though I think that was avoidance as much as anything! Are you happy in your work?

I know how that feels, sometimes when I turn on the computer and face the screen, my mind starts telegraphing "you're sleepy, your eyelids are heavy and you need to rest" to my body and every ounce of energy I possess flees.
I usually manage to force myself to face the monster eventually but not before a round or two of tetris to get me going. It's a really daggy game I know but hey, it works for me.

in the beginning when i had no deadlines and no idea what to do for my thesis, i used to take naps. but now i have a deadline, i am not so sleepy, and just sleep at night. albeit quite late at night. i'm a night owl. i don't function at all before midday. i've always been like that.

i can get terribly sleepy, too.

jayney, you could try having that strong cup of coffee BEFORE your nap. it takes about half an hour for the caffeine to kick in. that way, when you wake up (by yourself, thank you coffee!) half an hour later, you feel fresh and awake! rather than being drowsy and sleepyheaded for another half hour until the coffee effect starts.

yeah, coffee is the obvious alternative shani! Coffee is only temporary though and will also make you feel more tired after the effects have worn off. So half an hour chill time in a nice bed when the body naturally seeks to slumber (late avo... siesta anyone?!) makes me work much longer and wakes me up more naturally! Usually I only feel snoozy when I've overexercised tho so am talking of very rare situations! I just sympathise with Beverley's sleepyness.

Thanks all - glad to know it's not just me. Actually, posting in the forum has done the trick today... it seems to have kept me awake in my breaks. Maybe it's due to working alone rather than in a space where others are working too.

jayney, uh I think you misunderstood - i was suggesting you could try drinking coffee, then sleeping for half an hour. instead of sleeping for half an hour, then drinking coffee.

as that way you will wake up after your nap with the coffee effect right there!

but i totally agree that exercise is the better option! but if the OP is effectively not getting enough sleep, due to juggling child care and PhD, then the "powernap" might actually be quite a good idea.

Actually, I don't sleeping is a problem. I sleep an awful lot at the moment (in the day). I put it down to the particularly complex brain functions my body is undertaking during this final task of writing up.
I would say accept the sleep, make up for working time elsewhere, and address there is not an underlying 'thesis avoidance' problem which is the cause.

ah ha! sorry Shani I did misunderstand. :P

Well said Aloha!

aloha - love the idea that it's because the brain is working so hard. I do so hope that's true!

Hey Beverley,
I use to sleep over the day sometime back. I was slacking quiet a bit in my thesis work so I decided to change my sleeping habits and my daily routine itself. I use to think “let me sleep now, I can be more productive in the night” but this was not working out. If I feel sleepy during the day, I usually finish my household chores and then try to work on my report. If I still can’t then I change my working plans. If I had planned to write and can’t, I try to format document, read articles, format figures or do something related to thesis work. So, I would suggest slowly try to change your sleeping habits.

Hi,
I can sympathise completly. At the moment I'm trying to write up, but I have been diagnosed with CFS/M.E. If I allowed myself to I would sleep constantly. At the moment I miss a fair few days a week, and most of the time I have to work at home as I get so tired. Its very frustrating- if I have a good day and try and get loads done, I feel rubbish for a week and miss even more time off. I'm trying to learn to pace myself but its very hard.
A lot of people get tiredness from stress etc- but I put off going to the doctor for so long and trying to 'work through it' that I've ended up really messing up my health and having to work very hard to get it back on track. So if you feel this tiredness is interfering with your work- go and see a doctor, get checked out, it could be something really simple like low iron or something- and look after yourself, being tired is your bodies way of asking for a break, so its often a good idea to do what it says:)

I suffer with this too, all the time. I think I've got CFS because as far back as I remember, I've always suffered from extremely low energy. This is something I've battled through for years. I always feel light-headed and dizzy, like I'm going to pass out all the time, and my attention span is really poor--amazing that I'm doing a PhD really. I find it difficult to concentrate, so I'll sit down to read and my mind will start drifting off after 15 mins or so. birdsandbees, how did you get diagnosed with CFS/ME? I've gone to the doc loads of time to discuss this, and they've only ever tested me for anaemia and thyroid, but everything came out ok.

i kept going back, they did loads of blood tests, everything came back normal, but I was at my wits end- I ended up going to the duty doctor in tears because I couldnt believe how tired I was.It was only then they started taking it seriously and that it wasnt just stress (although stress makes it worse).
I got flu about 18 months ago, never really got better, and just got gradually more and more ill the more I tried to battle on through. Everyone says the key is pacing yourself and giving yourself plenty of time to rest, but thats easier said than done when your trying to finish your phd.