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My Story: Sleeping 4 Hours A Day For A Year

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Background image by Austin Henckel via Unsplash- sleeping 4 hours a day

In my opinion, the most important part of any person’s life is when they are making life-altering decisions. Most students in India make such decisions when they choose to prepare for IIT-JEE (top engineering college entrance exam), AIIMS, or NEET (top medical college entrance exam) after the 10th grade. I was initially on the bandwagon of prepping for the JEE exams; like any other aspirant, I had two paths. Either go for the usual route of Coaching at a fancy institute or study at home.

I decided to do something that I was told not to do. I didn’t join a coaching institute and opted to study at home. What made this approach different was that I didn’t have to spend lakhs of rupees and hours of time in a classroom after school hours, but there was a massive cost. The research to get the right books and guides was tougher than I had thought. It led to the start of a chain of events. But first, this research stressed me, and I often doubted or second-guessed if I had the best material on the market.

Some Background

So, preparation usually starts in Feb/March, right after your 10th board, and the exam was two years later in January and April, so approximately 23/25 months. It took two months to get my study material in order, and it was already April. And with this, I made a timetable that made my whole biological clock change. Now, you would think, doesn’t that need motivation? So to answer your question, I had motivation at the time, so I made the changes.

I used to return from school at 3 PM, and I used to study from 4 PM to 9 PM and then from 10 PM till 3 AM. Sleep was from 3 AM to 7 AM. Yes, just 4 hours! My logic for less sleep initially was I could sleep in classes that bored me. Lack of sleep was apparent after two weeks of this four-hour sleep routine. But that wasn’t the biggest pain for me. To understand why this was a plan destined to fail, you need to understand what happens when a last-minute studying student who runs a sprint tries to run a marathon that too of a scale that tries to match your parent’s ambition.

The Mind of a Child

I started reading Physics in my 10th and was immediately in love with the subject. That made me research prospects in Physics and came across the major rush toward IIT and its benefits. A great package, parents saying, “Life is set after IIT,” but what drove me to work was the promise of success. And for a 16-year-old me, that was so satisfying (immature me).

So as soon as I got free of 10thgrade, I got my eyes set to crack JEE. The idea of cracking was creating a major stress-related issue. Self-doubt was second nature, and schoolwork didn’t help. 4 hours of sleep had a facial change. Dark circles persist still today; my sense of dressing was down the drain. The effects were physical more than emotional at this point which is opposite to what usually happens; hence, I ignored the red flags. Soon sleeping all the time became common. Coffee was my companion at all times, Another big hit to my body.

sleeping 4 hours a day moon
Image by Aron Visuals via Unsplash

By the time October came, my anger outbursts had increased, and so did my absent-mindedness, which was starting a downward spiral. But not as dark as shown in the movie Kabir Singh. For me, the outbursts were more hidden and subtle. Now, you must be wondering how did I get the ability to study long hours, so here’s your answer. Self Help gurus and motivational videos were a big part of these. They filled me with an energy surge that was enough to keep me going. And mind you, my dream at this point was a big house with a stylish car in some high street location like Bandra Kurla Complex, Manhattan, or California.

Motivational Content?

But why did I mention motivational videos? That is another question you would be pondering, so let’s dive into it. First, I’m not blaming any creator or idea associated with this type of content. So, with that out of the way, let’s get to the point.

There is a plethora of such motivational content, and why should it not be? Every person needs a burst of motivation telling them they can do it. But certain creators keep babbling stuff and make you go into a spiral that makes you feel that you have done a lot of work, but you haven’t.

This vicious circle happened to me at least 20% of all days. Which isn’t a small number. It could have been worse. Many speakers tell you that Mark Zuckerberg did this or that and Elon Musk did something, and so can you. That is true. But here is the biggest truth you’ll ever listen to:

You only succeed if you are driven. No one will wake you up every day!

What I mean by this is that if you need outside motivation to get work done, you will face reality very soon and hit rock bottom. Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai are who they are because they have a goal and take action and achieve something every day. That sense of achievement drives them to work harder or, as people nowadays say, HUSTLE.

Take an example; you might have heard that Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of college but did you know that he studied at Harvard University and dropped out only after Facebook had enough users to convince him that it would work? If you didn’t know that, then consider yourself half-informed.

So, now you can relate to my story of why I failed and why I had earlier said this plan was destined to fail. If someone asks, “Why do you want to be an IAS”? You don’t say, “I want to serve my nation.” That is something everyone does; what makes you different? That is the question, and if you don’t stand out & understand your ‘why,’ you will not clear your interview round. So first, prepare yourself mentally and understand your inner motivation before you go buy hefty books and pay a large bill.

Rude Awakening

So, let’s dial to December of the same year when the rude realization happened. Then the spiral was even worse; the only time I felt great was when I took my evening walk and spent time eating at fast food outlets with my friends.

The outbursts had become a little less frequent but sharper. I even had one panic attack in November of that year. And panic attacks aren’t something I would want my worst enemy to have. It is the most concise manner to express my experience.

sleeping 4 hours a day rude awakening
Image by Noor Younis via Unsplash

I had conversations with many of my peers and my psychology teacher then. They made me understand that I had to end this madness and start working as a normal human being and not push myself to the limits of my body’s operating capacity. By February, I had finally started sleeping the needed 7 hours of sleep and am still trying to get rid of those dark circles and fine lines on my face.

Lessons Learnt

What I want you to take away from this sob story is that life isn’t something to be taken lightly; enjoy it, give your best according to your capacity, and not according to some random YouTuber showing you a topper’s timetable. You are unique; you are awesome and beautiful; learn to appreciate that and, at the same time, value yourself.

Don’t run behind a wad of cash that you can’t count. Instead, go for a goal your heart approves of and work towards it with dedication but without losing the fun and health factors in your life. Enjoy the small moments of life because, whatever happens in life, remind yourself –

It’s not the minutes that count! But it’s the moments that matter!

 

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Retik Singh
Retik Singh
A passionate coder with a love for English literature. Enjoys hanging out with his friends and talking about films and is a major Tom Cruise Fan. In short, he is a person with a mathematician's mind and a poet's heart.

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