3 ms·

Do you do any type of exercise (gym/weights) apart from cycling to work? If so, how does such comparatively little sleep affect your recovery?

stevesimmons 7y ago
Basically sleep, or lack of sleep, does not affect my recovery from sport. My ideal work/life balance includes 12 hours' work and 3 hours' sport a day. I'd vary sports rather than have a day off. For 4 years, when I lived in Melbourne, Australia, my usual weekday routine was: * Up by 5:30am. Marathon kayaking from 6am to 7am. Cycle to work. Start work at 8am. * Work til 7pm. Cycle to swim, water polo, or gym (which I did together with my partner). Cycle home. * Dinner with my partner from 9 to 10:30pm. Work or recreational programming til midnight. At weekends, I'd try to fit in a 2-3 hour run or marathon kayaking training. My narcolepsy would be much worse after long training sessions (due I think to dehydration and elevated core body temperature) and I'd often fall asleep, sometimes on the floor, for an hour or two. Over the last few years, now I live in London, I've dropped water polo and am focussing more on flamenco dancing. If work is not too busy, I'll manage to do 2-3 three hour classes a week. If I have time on Saturdays, I'll do 5-6 hours of sport: cycling/kayaking/cycling/water polo/swimming, or flamenco/flamenco/streetdance/streetdance, etc. Basically, my work/sport/sleep routine is not normal. It works perfectly for me. I definitely don't recommend it to anyone else.
- marvin 7y ago
  Really fascinating that you’re managing this condition by having an activity/energy level that’s absolutely extreme conpared to the average, and that this seems to be healthy for you. I get the impression that capitalist society has a tendency to richly reward this trait when combined with some interest/skill in negotiation and marketable skills.
  - rpmisms 7y ago
    This type of behavior has been rewarded throughout history. Spending insane amounts of time and energy on things nobody else could dedicate the time to is what made Michaelangelo, Edison, Tesla, Newton, the legends that they are.

stevesimmons 7y ago

Basically sleep, or lack of sleep, does not affect my recovery from sport. My ideal work/life balance includes 12 hours' work and 3 hours' sport a day. I'd vary sports rather than have a day off. For 4 years, when I lived in Melbourne, Australia, my usual weekday routine was: * Up by 5:30am. Marathon kayaking from 6am to 7am. Cycle to work. Start work at 8am. * Work til 7pm. Cycle to swim, water polo, or gym (which I did together with my partner). Cycle home. * Dinner with my partner from 9 to 10:30pm. Work or recreational programming til midnight. At weekends, I'd try to fit in a 2-3 hour run or marathon kayaking training. My narcolepsy would be much worse after long training sessions (due I think to dehydration and elevated core body temperature) and I'd often fall asleep, sometimes on the floor, for an hour or two. Over the last few years, now I live in London, I've dropped water polo and am focussing more on flamenco dancing. If work is not too busy, I'll manage to do 2-3 three hour classes a week. If I have time on Saturdays, I'll do 5-6 hours of sport: cycling/kayaking/cycling/water polo/swimming, or flamenco/flamenco/streetdance/streetdance, etc. Basically, my work/sport/sleep routine is not normal. It works perfectly for me. I definitely don't recommend it to anyone else.

marvin 7y ago
Really fascinating that you’re managing this condition by having an activity/energy level that’s absolutely extreme conpared to the average, and that this seems to be healthy for you. I get the impression that capitalist society has a tendency to richly reward this trait when combined with some interest/skill in negotiation and marketable skills.
- rpmisms 7y ago
  This type of behavior has been rewarded throughout history. Spending insane amounts of time and energy on things nobody else could dedicate the time to is what made Michaelangelo, Edison, Tesla, Newton, the legends that they are.