SLEEP DEPRIVATION. Let's talk about this.

Throughout my PhD I experienced a lot of sleep deprivation. Much of it was unintentional. I had this crazy insomnia for a couple of years that I just couldn't shake. But some of it was intentional too. [Thread]

As deadlines crept closer and I realised there was no way I was going to get my work finished I would end up working through the night to get it done.

In the week before I submitted by thesis I worked for 4 days straight with NO SLEEP. 96 hours non stop. That is not good.

We need to start talking about why so many PhD students have to push way past their healthy limits in order to get things done. The answer isn't that we are lazy and leave things to the last minute, even though it may feel like that.

The answer lies in the fact that there isn't enough support when things get tough. We feel isolated, alone, and out of our depth and this paralyses us. Procrastination is not laziness. It is paralysis.

We need to start talking about these experiences more so that we know we aren't alone. So we can begin to support one another and encourage the right kind of support from our institutions.

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