use´less adj.

1. Being or having no beneficial use; futile or ineffective
2. Incapable of functioning or assisting; ineffectual
3. Mikey, the day after an all-nighter

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I pretty much slept all day yesterday, the day after I decided to stay up all night rather than risk missing a meeting with Barb. I was operating through this cloud of grogginess that just would not go away. So I slept. Stared at the word process for a while, but very little came out. If my progress on my thesis were a patient hooked up to a cardio monitor yesterday, the machine would have flatlined with that alarming BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. If only I had a crew of people that could rush in when that happens and shock me into productivity.

I'm feeling fine today, so I hope I make some respectable headway. However, I'm quite concerned about my response to such a lack of sleep. How am I going to respond when I'm in clerkships and taking overnight call? This issue has been debated ad nauseum, and you can read up on sleep deprivation in the health care industry here. Without having any experience in the clinic, I can't say that I've developed a set opinion one way or the other, but it seems the safety issues involved for both patients and workers point to the need for making sure health care workers are well-rested.

I can force myself into do some things when I'm groggy, but these are tasks that are usually purely physical in nature and that I can perform in somewhat of a zombie-like state, such as lab experiments, menial household chores, eating, and surfing the internet. Oh sure, I can pick up a book and flip the pages, but I won't retain a single word.

The good news is that it looks like my sleep/wake cycle is close to normal again. I woke at a decent time, around 6:15 and there's no fog in my mind whatsoever. We'll see how long that lasts.

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What I'm listening to now: Reanimation, Linkin Park

If I play this loud enough, there's no way I'm going to fall asleep. Actually, when I started this post, iTunes started playing Gershwin plays Gershin: The Piano Rolls, which is great music for starting the day.