Good old saying - if you work hard manually, rest by doing something mentally challenging, and vice versa. For most of us vice versa applies hard.
I do something every day or evening, even if its just 1.5-2h evening walks. Days I don't do anything are definitely harder to fall asleep, to say the least, and some small achievement is missing.
Re:Why sleep deprivation disrupts memory
by sureglymop on Saturday June 15, 2024 @07:01AM
(#40688948)
I take a stimulant for my adhd. If i didn't have physical exhaustion (usually a 10km 2h walk before sleep) I don't think I could sleep at all. It still affects the quality of sleep (not much deep sleep) though.
Now, sleep quality really affects everything. I think in general, mental health/sanity is hardly taken seriously in the tech industry. If I had employees I'd rather they had enough physical activity and sleep over a long and sustainable period than them sleeping under their desk hacking through the night.
One point from that post related to this discussion:
"Once I became a bike messenger, I slept like a log for 8 hours every night."
In my own life, having worked both manual, physical labor and been a tech worker, I noticed the following:
- When I worked construction, my body would be exhausted but my mind would be very active when I tried to go to sleep.
- In tech work, it's my mind that is exhausted but my body still has energy
- I've also worked jobs that required a high amount of both physical and mental focus and that's when I usually sleep the deepest.