Weekenders and Sleep don't Mix!

[DavidY]

After going on a few weekenders I'm still trying to work out the optimal mix of dancing and sleeping.

I want to catch the best dancers and the best music. But I also need to eat and be capable of checking out and driving home at the end of it all, and ideally be in a fit state to do some work later in the week.

I felt like a bit of a wuss :blush: at S****port when I gave up at the end of Dance Demon's set (around 09:15 on Sunday morning I think?), leaving the more hardcore dancers to dance for another hour or two.

When do other people sleep?

[TheTramp]

I felt like a bit of a wuss :blush: at S****port when I gave up at the end of Dance Demon's set (around 09:15 on Sunday morning I think?), leaving the more hardcore dancers to dance for another hour or two.

Or 4! :whistle: Managed to get back to the chalet at 1:15pm!


When do other people sleep?

Had about 5 hours sleep on the weekend (and 4 on the Thursday before it too). Was quite tired while working last night. Not looking forward to the drive home from Aberdeen after working tonight (if there's anyone from Dundee who fancies going dancing in Aberdeen tonight, and keeping me awake on the way home, it'd be appreciated! :flower: ).

[jivecat]

One thing I really don't like about weekenders is the havoc they play with my biorhythms.
I'd like to see continous dancing from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. when the evening would be definitively over until the next day. Most people couldn't manage to dance more than 17 hours out of 24 anyway, so this would mean that people's sleeping/resting times would be coordinated during the hours of darkness when it is most natural to sleep. (Whether they actually chose to sleep would of course be up to them...) And it would mean that you wouldn't have to wait up till 3 a.m. or whenever to get to dance with your favourites because that's when they've woken up.
My best dancing is usually in the afternoons when I'm feeling rested and full of energy.
I wa trying to sleep on Sunday evening (and couldn't) so I would have the energy to dance through the night. It's totally crazy.

[Tiggerbabe]

Don't feel like a wuss, David, I only came back to the Blues Room after having a rest in my chalet for a couple of hours - ok not technically sleeping, but not dancing :hug:

I went to bed about 4.30 on Friday night/Saturday morning and had about 5 hours I think, I had a couple of hours on Saturday evening before the cabarets and then another few hours on Sunday after I left the blues room about 11.30am. I was dj-ing for 3 hours in the main room on Saturday night and didn't dance much (apart from jiggling about at the decks) during that time, so won't have used up as much energy as you.

I had another hour or so sleep on Sunday evening before coming out to dance and then left Sunday/Monday about 4.30am as I didn't want to be too tired for the journey home. :innocent:

[Juju]

I'd like to see continous dancing from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. when the evening would be definitively over until the next day.

Are you saying the music should stop at three? Are you crazy? You'd have hundreds of people going nuts! And I'd be one of them!

[MartinHarper]

I'd like to see continous dancing from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. when the evening would be definitively over until the next day.

Seconded.

In general, I find that hallucinating from sleep deprivation is incompatible with good dancing.

[MartinHarper]

Are you saying the music should stop at three? Are you crazy? You'd have hundreds of people going nuts! And I'd be one of them!

Start dancing earlier.

[WittyBird]

Are you saying the music should stop at three? Are you crazy? You'd have hundreds of people going nuts! And I'd be one of them!

:yeah:

If you can't take the pace then go to bed, nobody is making you stay up. :mad: fcuking miserable people can't be ar$ed with whingers.

I got around 4 hours sleep all weekend. That was *MY* choice. If I'd wanted to go to bed that would've also been *MY* choice. :rolleyes:

[David Bailey]

One thing I really don't like about weekenders is the havoc they play with my biorhythms..
One thing I don't like about weekenders is the endless posts of the form:

"Ooh, I only got 2 hours sleep all night "
"2 Hours? Blimey, I never got 10 minutes sleep all weekend"
"Hah! 10 minutes! You were lucky mate, I didn't even blink once for 72 hours straight!"


:rolleyes:

***, if you're tired, go to bed. This is not a complex concept. And it's not a "who can stay awake longest" competition. Dancing through the night doesn't make you a great dancer.

Grrrr.

[DavidY]

I'd like to see continous dancing from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. when the evening would be definitively over until the next day. ~SNIP~It's totally crazy.Logically, I agree with this.
In general, I find that hallucinating from sleep deprivation is incompatible with good dancing...and this..
If you can't take the pace then go to bed, nobody is making you stay up. ..and this...
Dancing through the night doesn't make you a great dancer...and this.

But illogically I had some of the best dances in the daylight hours of Sunday morning with several the folk who were left. :confused: I wasn't even that exhausted.

I did get some sleep at the weekend, several more hours than some folk, but I was wondering if anyone had tried, I dunno, going to sleep at 7pm, getting 8 hours sleep, then waking at 3am and staying up till 7pm the next evening. Would that work? Would it be cheating?

[Twirly]

But illogically I had some of the best dances in the daylight hours of Sunday morning with several the folk who were left. :confused: I wasn't even that exhausted.

Are you sure you weren't just hallucinating?! :wink:

[Gav]

Seconded.

In general, I find that hallucinating from sleep deprivation is incompatible with good dancing.

Yeh, but it could be quite funny for the rest of us to watch! :D

[jivecat]

If you can't take the pace then go to bed, nobody is making you stay up. fcuking miserable people can't be ar$ed with whingers.



Oooh, ta, Wittybird. :hug: :kiss: :flower: that's cheered everyone up!


But illogically I had some of the best dances in the daylight hours of Sunday morning with several the folk who were left. I wasn't even that exhausted.


:yeah: Now you mention it, I had a couple of fab dances with KillingTime just before I went home. I got in the car at 6:45 a.m., but had to stop after a bit, I kept hitting that white line at the side of the motorway.:eek:

[robd]

I'm not sure what the debate is about - if you want to stay up then do so. If not, go to bed. The setup of the weekend allows for either option. This weekend I tended to go out later in the evening (or return to the chalet for a break) and then stay through to the early hours. Yes, I was a wreck by Monday morning (and I would have done things a bit differently were it me driving home) but I did so because
* the post 4 am dancing for me has a quality that I don't find elsewhere. It may be the effects of sleep deprivation preventing a realistic appraisal but that's irrelevant because it's how it makes me feel that counts
* at a practical level I find the blues room uncomfortably crowded until about 2 or 3 am. If I want to be in there then I can't knock others for wanting the same thing but there's a finite amount of room
Robert

[fletch]

I got around 4 hours sleep all weekend. That was *MY* choice. If I'd wanted to go to bed that would've also been *MY* choice. :rolleyes:


So let me get this right :confused: are you saying life is about choices :na:




***, if you're tired, go to bed. This is not a complex concept. And it's not a "who can stay awake longest" competition. Dancing through the night doesn't make you a great dancer.

Grrrr.
Too true :yeah:

I didn't get much sleep this weekend (6hrs max.) but wow i'm paying for it now.:sick: I have no voice (due to singing at the top of my voice to most of the records):blush: can't walk properly (due to wearing boots instead of my dance shoes):waycool: I had 10 hrs sleep last night and i'm going to have a nap in a while.:sad:

But i had the best time ever,:clap: I wouldn't want to take the choice away from people, do what you want to do.:flower:

[CJ]

This was my first Southport, and the sleep thing was an issue. I maybe slept 12 hrs all in, and most of those were grudgingly given into. I'm lucky in the sense that I've spent a long time on the road with the band, and I have the capability of falling asleep standing, if I have to, then enduring hours of awakeness: still finding what it takes to perform:wink: :whistle: :rolleyes: .

I don't know if it's a natural thing or if I've conditioned my body.:confused:

The most helpful thing I can say is little, often... 3 times 1 hr works better for me than 1 x 3hr.

The other thing I don't know is if this is usual... I can feel absolutely spent, then one dance, one song, one intense sharing and I'm energised for hrs again..

[Cruella]

but had to stop after a bit, I kept hitting that white line at the side of the motorway.:eek:

This does bring a serious debate forward. I hit the kerb as i neared home, it does pose the question of responsibility. So many of us are driving home after having little sleep, it's only time before one of us has a serious accident!


OK i'm tired with swollen glands, so not my usual cheery self. :rolleyes:

[Lynn]

One thing I don't like about weekenders is the endless posts of the form:

"Ooh, I only got 2 hours sleep all night "
"2 Hours? Blimey, I never got 10 minutes sleep all weekend"
"Hah! 10 minutes! You were lucky mate, I didn't even blink once for 72 hours straight!"
:rolleyes:

***, if you're tired, go to bed. This is not a complex concept. And it's not a "who can stay awake longest" competition. Dancing through the night doesn't make you a great dancer.

Grrrr.Oh yes, I get a bit fed up with this too. So I have a really straightforward policy now - I go to bed when I feel tired. I'll stay up dancing if I feel like it, but I won't (any longer) feel pressurised into staying up because I feel I have to.

I went to bed at 4:30 (I think) on Sat night when the latin room closed - I wasn't shattered, but I'd had such a nice time dancing in there most of the evening, I'd had a lovely (unexpected) tango as my last dance in there, and I had the choice of staying up because it was 'the done thing' or going to bed. I know other people stayed up much later, but I don't feel like I 'wimped out' or missed out.

I did stay up later on Sun night but because I wanted to and was still enjoying the dancing.

Its a dance weekend, not an endurance event.

[MartinHarper]

I'm not sure what the debate is about - if you want to stay up then do so. If not, go to bed. The setup of the weekend allows for either option.

I guess the problem isn't that people are dancing at 6am - it's that there's more people dancing at 6am than at 6pm. The setup of the weekender allows for either option, but they aren't equal options. If I stick to my normal sleeping patterns, I get less dancing.

Having said that, if folks are staying up till midday, maybe I should get up at 8am as normal and grab them for four hours dancing before they collapse.

[fletch]

I guess the problem isn't that people are dancing at 6am - it's that there's more people dancing at 6am than at 6pm. .


So where does this twoddle come from :rolleyes:

If you had been there at 6am and 6pm you wouldn't be making that commnet :mad:

IMO the numbers were about equal, but just different people, I was there at 6am and 6pm on all the sessions maybe someone else who was there might have a different opinion? :rolleyes:

i'm tired and grumpy,:sad: so I might have a nap before I type somthing I regret :sick:

[stewart38]

I slept about 7hrs over the weekend maybe a bit more

No seagulls !

As people have said it their choice, if I drop dead im sure I could be removed fairly easily and maybe break only into ½ or 1 track depending where I dropped dead

I left cira 5am most nights even though it was packed mainly as there are lot more weekenders and I don’t think ill miss anything although the quality never gets worse (bad grammar ?)

Of course im tired now but that’s what they have Christmas day for to eat turkey and catch up on sleep

There is a lot more day time dancing now which is good

[CJ]

OK i'm tired of swollen glans, so not my usual cheery self. :rolleyes:

I meant to thank you for that dance, Di... Am sorry I wore you out.

[fletch]

No seagulls !




Seagulls only come out when the camp is sleeping :na:

Don't think the camp slept :wink:


:D

[Lucy Locket]

So many of us are driving home after having little sleep, it's only time before one of us has a serious accident!

Let's hope not :sad:


I have the capability of falling asleep standing,

The most helpful thing I can say is little, often... 3 times 1 hr works better for me than 1 x 3hr.

I thought you were enjoying our dances but now i see differently, you were actually leaning on me for support whilst you had a catnap & not really dancing close & sensual, and you must have been talking in your sleep & i thought you were singing :whistle: :tears: :rofl:

3 x 1 hr or 1 x 3 hrs - 3 quick sessions or 1 long one eh :wink: :whistle:

[MartinHarper]

If you had been there at 6am and 6pm you wouldn't be making that commnet :mad:

Aye, my comment was a general one, rather than being specific to last weekend's Southport, and sure it's not wildly accurate. I guess it would be less controversial to say that more people are dancing freestyle at 2am than 2pm, at most weekenders. It might be healthier if it was the other way round. Certainly it'd mean less messing around with sleep patterns.

[David Bailey]

Oh yes, I get a bit fed up with this too. So I have a really straightforward policy now - I go to bed when I feel tired.
You loony person you.


Its a dance weekend, not an endurance event.
Hmmmm, are you sure about that? I thought it was a superpower summit? :confused: :innocent:

[Lynn]

The only time there isn't dancing really is the mornings (by morning I mean between breakfast and lunchtime). I actually really enjoy the Sunday afternoon dancing in the blues room and out on the decking.

[stewart38]

This does bring a serious debate forward. I hit the kerb as i neared home, it does pose the question of responsibility. So many of us are driving home after having little sleep, it's only time before one of us has a serious accident!


OK i'm tired with swollen glands, so not my usual cheery self. :rolleyes:


Seagulls only come out when the camp is sleeping :na:

Don't think the camp slept :wink:


:D

was there seagulls last time ? or is that just Camber ? im sure there was ?



This does bring a serious debate forward. I hit the kerb as i neared home, it does pose the question of responsibility. So many of us are driving home after having little sleep, it's only time before one of us has a serious accident! . :rolleyes:

Who moved the kerb that’s what id say

This is true although I try and get an hours kip on M6 when im sitting in the traffic, although a lot better getting back, what is it with M6 !! go widened it by 3 lanes each way

Of course on a serious note it dangerous driving 200 miles when very tired :sad: solution ? dont know.

[Yliander]

It was a short soutport for me as I didn't arrive until around 4pm on Saturday - I slept more than I intended on the Saturday night/Sunday morning due to hitting the stop button rather than the snooze button - so all up I got around 6 hours sleep between my arrival and hitting the sack monday night - the only reason I was able to do that was I wasn't driving home.

If I had been driving I would have proberbly slept 5/6 to 11pm on Sunday afternoon

next southport - I figure my sleeping hours will be roughly 4/5 to 11pm as day time sleeping in day time will be out as there are several workshops I know I want to attend

personally I think if you want to sleep go and do stop - and if you don't sleep well then don;t whinge about it - I would hate to see the blues room closed down early some of my favourite dances happened as the mist came in and the sun came up on Sunday & Monday mornings


The other thing I don't know is if this is usual... I can feel absolutely spent, then one dance, one song, one intense sharing and I'm energised for hrs again..:yeah:

[fletch]

[QUOTE=stewart38;281405]was there seagulls last time ? or is that just Camber ? im sure there was ?




.


so far just Camber,:grin: we were hoping they might make an appearance but they only come out when everyone else is asleep.:wink:

:rofl:

[Cruella]

[QUOTE=stewart38;281347]





so far just Camber,:grin: we were hoping they might make an appearance but they only come out when everyone else is asleep.:wink:

:rofl:

There were seagulls, Riaz and i saw them on sun morning (or was it monday?) Noisy beggars how can anyone sleep with that row going on. :whistle:

[ducasi]

I stayed up dancing to about 4 on Friday, 6 on Saturday, then all night on Sunday.

I was very tired, but I loved being able to dance with some lovely dancers to great music on an un-crowded floor without anything else to occupy my mind...

I didn't get at much sleep as I'd hoped for. I found it difficult to sleep in the mornings, and I never managed to get the wee snoozes I'd promised myself in the afternoons or evenings – too busy being sociable.

Next time I'll try harder at sleeping in...

[fletch]

I never managed to get the wee snoozes I'd promised myself in the afternoons or evenings – too busy being sociable.

Next time I'll try harder at sleeping in...

It might take a few days to catch up on the sleep, but its worth it :flower:

we had some loverly dances and i'm glad I didn't miss any of them because you were snoozing :hug:

[Lynn]

I was very tired, but I loved being able to dance with some lovely dancers to great music on an un-crowded floor without anything else to occupy my mind...This is what I like about staying up. If I'm so tired I'm not enjoying it, that's when I'll go to bed.

I personally wanted to balance my time between dancing, spending time with my friends from NI, spending time with friends from elsewhere, and getting enough rest so I could enjoy dancing. But everyone wants different things from a weekender and for some dancing all night, every night, is what they want. (For some weekenders its been what I've wanted, and what I've done.)

I do think that a lot of the more experienced dancers do this, and do less workshops, which can create the impression that the 'good' dancers dance all night and therefore you have to dance all night to be a 'good' dancer. And if you don't then you are somehow inferior, 'can't stand the pace' etc, that attitude is the bit I find annoying.

[Cruella]

you have to dance all night to be a 'good' dancer. And if you don't then you are somehow inferior, 'can't stand the pace' etc, that attitude is the bit I find annoying.

What a load of tosh! I love staying up all night because my best blues dances seem to happen in the early hours. I believe it's because by then we are so relaxed and chilled out that we lose all our inhibitions and just go with the music and our feelings. It's not great having no sleep but some of us find it difficult to sleep in a strange bed, so may as well be on the dancefloor. This attitude is in your head, who has ever said that only 'good dancers' stay up all night! It's more like, the most addicted! The blues room isn't much fun at peak times when you get bumped into all the time, so it is a real treat in the early hours of the morning, not to have to worry about that.

[drathzel]

sleep, whats that?

I generally dont sleep much so weekenders are a fab time for me!:clap:

[jivebunny]

It was my first ever Southport and i wanted to dance all the time, but come 5.30 sunday morning i was incapable of any kind of movement so had to give in and go to bed (although i didn't like that as i knew there was so much going on). As a first timer (not a partimer JiveAddicted!) i wanted to do everything and did way to many classes - this will change in Feb.

Going to have to work on my energy levels for next year!!

[Lynn]

What a load of tosh! Of course it is! :flower: That was my point.
This attitude is in your head, who has ever said that only 'good dancers' stay up all night! I didn't say anyone 'said' it, more that it can sometimes come across that way so that people feel they are somehow not 'sticking the pace' if they leave before the end eg

I felt like a bit of a wuss :blush: at S****port when I gave up at the end of Dance Demon's set (around 09:15 on Sunday morning I think?), leaving the more hardcore dancers to dance for another hour or two.

The space, the music and the feeling relaxed are all the things that make the late night dancing good. And even being a bit tired can help, as its a good excuse to snuggle into your partner for those lovely bluesy tracks...

[Cruella]

. And if you don't then you are somehow inferior, 'can't stand the pace' etc, that attitude is the bit I find annoying.


Of course it is! :flower: That was my point. I didn't say anyone 'said' it, more that it can sometimes come across that way so that people feel they are somehow not 'sticking the pace' if they leave before the end eg

Come across that way? Why is it annoying? People are up dancing end of story! You are the only person that can interpret that as 'you're inferior' because you go to bed. It's all about how you interpret situations and how you see others, not how they actually are.

[ducasi]

... I felt like a bit of a wuss :blush: at S****port when I gave up at the end of Dance Demon's set (around 09:15 on Sunday morning I think?) ...
You're definitely not a wuss for going to bed at 9.15am. But there's another word to describe the people who stayed up until past 12pm – nutter. :na:

[TheTramp]

You're definitely not a wuss for going to bed at 9.15am. But there's another word to describe the people who stayed up until past 12pm – nutter. :na:

I've been called worse! :whistle:

[WittyBird]

Come across that way? Why is it annoying? People are up dancing end of story! You are the only person that can interpret that as 'you're inferior' because you go to bed. It's all about how you interpret situations and how you see others, not how they actually are.

:yeah: Lifes about choices. I'm not the best sleeper and it takes me a while to get into the 'zone'. I always pace myself and love sitting and chatting as well as dancing. I overdose on redbull and pro plus but I also go back to my chalet around 10am drink coffee, chat, sleep for 2 hours then shower, get dressed and out for around 2pm. That's how I like to do things and it's *my* choice.:na:

[Georgious dancer]

Weekenders and Sleep don't Mix?!? I really think that depends on the individual, as WB, Fletch and many others have said everyone of us has the choice as to whether we sleep or not.

I never plan what time I go to bed, I just see how I feel and sleep as and when I need to. I am usually driving so I make sure I get plenty of sleep/rest before driving home.

Things will however be different from now on as I have a full time teaching job and the getting the buggers to behave is hard enough without being sleep deprived!

[littlewiggle]

The worse thing for me was not feeling tired but my legs and feet not wanting to work anymore - how annoying when I wanted to dance, dance and dance some more - how dare they give up on me ?!:wink:

[DavidY]

I think when I started this thread I wasn't trying to debate the rights and wrongs of dancing all night.

But if it's a given that there is going to be music playing all night and some good dances to be had, how do I do it?

This seems a helpful tip for instance:

The most helpful thing I can say is little, often... 3 times 1 hr works better for me than 1 x 3hr.As Cruella says it's important to have a strategy that means drivers can get home safely.

[Lynn]

You are the only person that can interpret that as 'you're inferior' because you go to bed. It's all about how you interpret situations and how you see others, not how they actually are. I'm not talking about me. I do stay up late (when I want to). And I did so even when less experienced, and I don't consider myself one of the 'advanced' dancers so I know its not about that.


It's all about how you interpret situations and how you see others, not how they actually are.True about a lot of things in life.

David, to answer your original question there are several things I have found helpful.

Resting time
- Getting plenty of rest the week before. I ended up doing this in June 05 as things got a little 'unsettled' in Belfast and basically everything I had planned to go to that week was cancelled because travel wasn't the best idea (a burning car makes a great street barricade, buses are even better). I therefore had lots of early nights that week and it paid off. Last week life got in the way of plans for early nights.
- You need to know your own limits. I can't do 3 'all nights' in a row, two is usually enough. As I've travelled on the Friday I usually go earlier then, to have more energy for the subsequent nights.
- Plan in rest times during the day if possible. This doesn't work too well for me as the best time I normally find for daytime sleep is about 3-5pm but I don't want to sleep then as there is too much good dancing at that time too!
- Save your feet. I tend to not stand around too much - I'm either dancing or I'm sitting down. That way all my time on my feet is saved for actually dancing. This can mean choosing between daytime workshops and night-time dancing, and I also sit down between tracks, if I'm not dancing - I don't stand around at the edge.
- A break during the night can work for some people. I've been known to pop back to the chalet after midnight for an hours sleep, getting up and coming back to dance again about 1 or 2am (when my chalet mates, who think I'm mad, are just coming back). But make sure you set your alarm (or get someone to wake you up).

Battling tiredness
- CJ has said how a really good dance can 're-energise' - a 'special' one certainly does :wink: , but any dance can, sitting too long can make you feel even more tired. If I start to feel tired sometimes I head into the main room for a few faster dances, bizzarely this can help.
- Eat - pack some snacks.
- Very obvious, but drink plenty of water.

And of course there's alway the Proplus...

[Yliander]

- A break during the night can work for some people. I've been known to pop back to the chalet after midnight for an hours sleep, getting up and coming back to dance again about 1 or 2am (when my chalet mates, who think I'm mad, are just coming back). But make sure you set your alarm (or get someone to wake you up):yeah: also don't hit the stop button on your alarm by mistake:sick:

[David Bailey]

Come across that way? Why is it annoying? People are up dancing end of story! You are the only person that can interpret that as 'you're inferior' because you go to bed.
Nope, that's the way I see it too, based on some of the macho posturing you always see after weekenders - so she's not the only one to get that feeling. And yes, feelings are of course subjective. That's why they're called feelings.

As I clearly stated, right at the start of this thread, I'm sick of the "I can stay awake longer than you" stuff.

But let me re-state it. It's ridiculous and immature one-upmanship - even for this place - and it comes across like a teenage lad boasting about how many pints he can neck, or twenty-three-year-old City workers daring themselves on to eat the Hottest Curry Ever.

There's a definite discussion about "safe staying awake techniques", about "Why do dances at X o'clock feel good". Either of those are fine.

But there's no value in "My stamina's bigger than yours" competitions. Some of us value our sleep, we get too little of it normally, and a holiday is a great chance to relax. And believe me, if you think this is grumpy, anyone who wakes me up in an untimely manner because "it's a laugh" will live long enough to regret it.

Ah, I feel much better now.

[Michelle<3]

When on weekenders I usually pack in a good few classes, eat an evening meal about 8.00 pm, couple of glasses of wine and then go to sleep for a few hours. I get up about 11.00-12.00 and am enjoying freestyle around 1.00 am onwards and easily get through to 4.00 - 5.00 am. Sleep a couple of hours and am usually attending a 10.00 am class.

I am often seriously tired at the beginning of the weekend having had to organise everything at work before I can get a couple of days off. I went to see Robbie Williams on the Thursday night and then had to return my friend to Kent and travel up the country again on Friday making a total of over 12 hours travelling. I lasted till about 4.00 am Friday night/Saturday morning.

Usually I miss the caberets as this is my sleep time but I was pleased to see this one and enjoyed it very much. I like a bit of space on the dance floor and went to sleep after the caberet and the next thing I knew it was 6.30 am! Still Sunday night was another great night. I had eaten and slept and danced from about 12.00 till 4.00 am. I could have lasted longer but needed to try and get a little more sleep in for the long journey home.

[Gav]

Wow, this is tons of really good info. :respect:

I'm a weekender virgin and off to my first in Camber in less than two weeks.
What all this tells me is that I just have to see what works for me as far as rest time and dancing time goes.

I'm so excited about it, I could see me having to be carried off when I just can't dance no more!

[killingtime]

(More directly about this Southport experience rather than other weekenders).


:yeah: Now you mention it, I had a couple of fab dances with KillingTime just before I went home. I got in the car at 6:45 a.m., but had to stop after a bit, I kept hitting that white line at the side of the motorway.:eek:

:flower: Thank you. Sorry that my 6:45am brain placed the fact that I knew you but not who you were...

I did find that I was dancing my best (or at least I thought I was dancing my best) on Sunday to Monday morning (the only night I stayed there the whole night).


Oh yes, I get a bit fed up with this too. So I have a really straightforward policy now - I go to bed when I feel tired. I'll stay up dancing if I feel like it, but I won't (any longer) feel pressurised into staying up because I feel I have to.

Good call. I was trying to pace myself over the weekend and I might of relaxed a little too much (that is I probably could have done more dancing without burning myself out) but after making myself ill last year I really didn't want to repeat that.

Saturday night I was getting a bit tired and had a sore arm. After having a few really good dances I thought I'd call it a night (though I did have one more with Dizzy but that was pretty much for her to be next to Ben when the music stopped).

Sunday I realised I could dance the whole night without any problems so I saw it through to the end (and the sun rising in the blues room is lovely).

[Dance Demon]

i don't normally get a lot of slep at Southport, mainly because i usually do two of the last sets in the blues room. At the weekend, I started my Friday night set at 3am, and finished aroud 7am. I was wakened at 10.30 am when my mobile rang, and couldn't get to sleep again as it was too light and people were passing by my bedroom window on their way to & from the venue. i did have a snooze in the afternoon, but not a deep sleep. My Saturday night set started at 4am, and I finished at 9.30am, mainly because the people that were left all went for breakfast and only a couple of people were still dancing. Tiggerbabe took over for the ones that wanted to continue dancing. I got to bet about 10.15am after having breakfast, and got up at 2.45pm. I had an earlier set on Sunday night, and got to bed about 4.14am, and got up at 9.30 am to go home. so in a 72 hour period, I got about 12 hours sleep. When I got home on sunday i went to bed before 10pm, and was up again at 5.30am this morning for work. Driving home from Stiling tonight was dodgy and i was starting to nod a bit coming down the M9.......I'm off to bed now........

[MartinHarper]

This is a nice thread, as it's prompted me to do a little reading on the subject of sleep and learning/health/creativity.

One source suggested that sleep is often "biphasic". For example, sleeping from 12pm to 6am, and also from 2pm to 4pm as siesta, which could be as healthy as a standard 10pm to 6am sleep pattern with no siesta. The proportions can be varied, and what was the siesta then becomes the core sleep, whilst what was the core sleep becomes the siesta. Additionally, it's quite easy to move the waking times forward, but hard to move them backwards.

This puts me in mind of a system which uses both these things: switching the siesta and the core sleep, and running the sleep clock to a 28 hour basis. At this point I start needing a spreadsheet to figure it out.

I thought this snippet would appeal to forumites:


Sex before sleep is highly recommended! Sex works as a powerful hypnotic. If you practice sex without procreative intentions, positive influence of sex on sleep may be your number one excuse for sticking faithfully to your conjugal duties. Here is also a recommendation to stick with a single partner. Longevity studies show that healthy stable monogamous sex life is one of powerful life expectancy determinants. On the other hand, sex with your new great love is likely to disrupt sleep. Apart from a healthy dose of endorphins, it will also raise your catecholamines that may fragment sleep cycles. For the same reasons, promiscuous sex may also fail to play the expected hypnotic role.

http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm

The article regretfully doesn't talk about whether blues can substitute for sex, but it seems plausible.

[frodo]

...it does pose the question of responsibility. So many of us are driving home after having little sleep, it's only time before one of us has a serious accident!...
:yeah:. Possibly involving a third party unfortunate enough to be going to work around the time a dance weekender is ending.

Is there a whole lot of difference between drunk and severely sleep deprived driving. While you could imagine circumstances where such sleep deprived driving may be justified, I doubt a dance weekender would cut much ice in a court.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1754336.stm .

[Dance Demon]

Is there a whole lot of difference between drunk and severely sleep deprived driving.

well I can't tell you about drunk driving, coz i don't drive when I'm drunk, but Sleep deprived driving i can tell you about. I suffer from sleep apnoea, and have to sleep wearing a special device that blows air through my nose, which keeps my throat muscles from closing, and stops me from snoring and choking. I was diagnosed several years ago. it has made a huge difference to my life as prior to being diagnosed, i was always tired. In 1982, I fell asleep behind the wheel of my car, and drove straight into a stone pillar. It took 1 1/2 hours to cut me out of the car, and I spent nearly five months in hospital with both femurs broken, half my left kneecap gone, my left ankle broken in two places, and my left big toe broken. The last thing I reember was that I felt a bit drowsy, so opened my window, and turned up my tape player. That was nearly a mile away from where I crashed. It was probably because of my sleep apnoea, but at that time little was known about it.
My advice to anyone who starts to feel drowsy when driving is to pull over, and have a 20 minute power nap, then get out and have a stretch & some fresh air, or evn a coffee if you can. Sleep comes on you very suddenly, so I would urge anyone who thinks " I'll be OK and just keep on going" not to.
It's better to arrive late than to be "late" when you arrive...........

[David Bailey]

My advice to anyone who starts to feel drowsy when driving is to pull over, and have a 20 minute power nap, then get out and have a stretch & some fresh air, or evn a coffee if you can. Sleep comes on you very suddenly, so I would urge anyone who thinks " I'll be OK and just keep on going" not to.
Excellent advice - :worthy: - literally, a 10-minute nap has amazing restorative powers. It's just so easy to doze off, especially if you're driving along a motorway, it just gets so monotonous.

Another top tip, of course, is to have passengers who can amuse you or at least check if you're still alert. Unless they're asleep themselves of course :rolleyes:

[fletch]

Another top tip, of course, is to have passengers who can amuse you or at least check if you're still alert. Unless they're asleep themselves of course :rolleyes:

I just need someone to grunt as i'm talking:grin: I can just go on and on :what: its my way of staying awake:really: its much harder when your on your own, a good disco track helps :na:

[Twirly]

I thought this snippet would appeal to forumites:


Sex before sleep is highly recommended! Sex works as a powerful hypnotic. If you practice sex without procreative intentions, positive influence of sex on sleep may be your number one excuse for sticking faithfully to your conjugal duties. Here is also a recommendation to stick with a single partner. Longevity studies show that healthy stable monogamous sex life is one of powerful life expectancy determinants. On the other hand, sex with your new great love is likely to disrupt sleep. Apart from a healthy dose of endorphins, it will also raise your catecholamines that may fragment sleep cycles. For the same reasons, promiscuous sex may also fail to play the expected hypnotic role.


Hmm, interesting reading in the light of the e-mail I got about Bliss this morning!


A spare duvet or sleeping bag if you feel the cold or are too tight
to pay for the heating.
• Joking apart, the weather can be really cold in October, you may
want to think seriously about bringing your fleecy pj¹s, wooly bed
socks, extra bedding, a hot water bottle and even a small electric
heater. Alternatively you could always share a bed with a stranger. :what:

[jacksondonut]

As much as Sunday night is my favourite night of the whole weekend.. :yeah: I start to feel the responsibility of having to drive home the next day on the Sunday!!! My conscience will not allow me to do otherwise..
So, consequently I make sure that I get to bed for at least a few hours..
I surprised myself by staying up till 4.00am... a lot later than I intended, because I did feel ok (actually pretty good)...up to that point.. I was able to have at least 5 hours sleep.. before being thrown out of our chalet by the staff......:rofl:

I would love to be able to stay up, but I wouldnt risk it. The lack of sleep over the weekend caught up with me on Monday night, which was fine. :yeah: (I never managed to get any sleep during the day at all over the weekend, just find it impossible to do)

In saying this, I had a fab relaxing drive home which flew by.. with no worries at the wheel at all.. a pretty good ending for me.:flower:

[Lynn]

Further tip...

Try not to have a really busy week the week after a weekender. I've had to push myself on with only one free evening all week and am only now starting to catch up with sleep. By this rate I'll just about be rested again in time for Breeze.:D

[Gav]

Hmm, interesting reading in the light of the e-mail I got about Bliss this morning!
Alternatively you could always share a bed with a stranger.
:what:

I thought that was just the sort of image that Ceroc didn't want?
Is that what you'd call South Coast Swinging? :rofl:

[MartinHarper]

Two things that help me the most: Firstly, I make sure I get plenty of sleep the previous week, so I go in with no sleep debt. Secondly, when I get home on Monday I calculate how much sleep debt I have, and use that to decide when to go to bed. I've had bad experiences where I've failed to do this and ended up carrying my sleep debt over for the rest of the week.

For example: normally would have slept Fri+Sat+Sun for 8 hours = 24 hours. Actually slept Fri afternoon for 1 hour, Fri night for 4 hours, Sat afternoon for 3 hours, Sat morning for 4 hours, Sun night for 6 hours = 18 hours
6 hours sleep debt + 8 hours regular sleep + waking up at 6am = go to bed at 4pm.

[fletch]

Two things that help me the most: Firstly, I make sure I get plenty of sleep the previous week, so I go in with no sleep debt. Secondly, when I get home on Monday I calculate how much sleep debt I have, and use that to decide when to go to bed. I've had bad experiences where I've failed to do this and ended up carrying my sleep debt over for the rest of the week.

For example: normally would have slept Fri+Sat+Sun for 8 hours = 24 hours. Actually slept Fri afternoon for 1 hour, Fri night for 4 hours, Sat afternoon for 3 hours, Sat morning for 4 hours, Sun night for 6 hours = 18 hours
6 hours sleep debt + 8 hours regular sleep + waking up at 6am = go to bed at 4pm.

:yeah:

my body needs its sleep back, I will sleep at least 12 hours the 4/5 days after a weekender :flower:

[Little Monkey]

It's absolutely pointless for me to try and 'plan' any sleeping patterns for a weekender. Being an insomniac, I can be so desperately tired I can hardly stand up, but when I go to bed I just toss and turn for hours...

Power napping doesn't work for me, either, as I most of the time can't fall asleep....... And if I do fall asleep, I sometimes become more or less comatose, so when it's time to get up again, I feel ten times worse, as my body is still screaming out for more sleep! I don't know how many times I've been at weekenders with Greg, and we go for a nap, and he falls asleep straight away, with me lying there wide awake, nearly in tears because I'm so tired!

Sleep deprivation has ruined quite a few weekenders for me, so fingers crossed I'll be ok for next week.....:what: The only thing I can do, is go to bed when I feel I need to sleep, and just hope for the best...