Sometimes there is simply no way to remain alert, due to utter, utter tedium. I was in a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting the other day.
SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS.
The only way I could stay awake was to jam my eyes open as wide as they’d go, so I looked kind of insane. My glazed eyes were staring, unseeing, directly at my coworker, who I was delighted to discover was having the same problem as me. Sadly she didn’t have a technique, and so as I stared, I watched her eyes slowly fluttering closed, then her head lolling, then her subconscious kicking in to say “Wake up! You’re in a meeting!”, then her head would fly back and her eyes open again, only for the same thing to happen about two minutes later. It was hilarious. She told me afterwards she was stabbing herself in the leg with a pen, but to no avail.
Other times I draw cartoon elephants, but if people observe me it looks unprofessional.
I’ve got an eight-and-a-half hour meeting tomorrow. Shoot me.
I used to have three-hour evening classes that I’d fall asleep during. Unfortunately, they occurred between 6 and 9 p.m., which is when my body says, “Nap time!”
The only thing I ever found that helped was drinking lots and lots of water – I think the coffee was dehydrating me and (perversely) making me fall asleep. Lately, for some reason, I find tea more useful for the evening drowsy spell than coffee.
I’m lucky enough that many of the lengthy seminars and workshops I have to attend are presented by trainers who believe that doodling does in fact increase focus, and actually provide markers and colouring sheets. I find it incredibly helpful.
You have my sympathies. I hope you at least get breaks and a lunch throughout the day. How are your co-workers faring with these excruciatingly long meetings? Are they an occasional or one-time thing or do you have to endure these meetings regularly?
I have been having this problem since I went back to school. I think it has something to do with working 40 hours a week, being a full time student, and commuting to both work and school.
I real eye opening experience (heh!) was when I fell asleep at the wheel on my way to school one afternoon. I had the eye-balls-rolling-in-different-directions thing going on, and I knew I need to wake up. The urge to sleep was greater then then urge to stay awake, and I blacked out for about an eighth of a mile :eek:… I know the distance because I saw the signs that said “exit 1/4 mile” and “next exit” ( that are about 1/8 mile apart) seem to be right next to each other in my memory. Scary shit, let me tell you. Nothing will wake you up faster then realizing you just fell asleep at the wheel!
May I second this idea? I used to have this problem too, not just at meetings, but at my desk. It could take me 30 minutes to type a sentence. My boss was very sweet, but she finally sat me down and insisted I see a doctor about it. And I did, in fact, have obstructive sleep apnea.
It’s no joke, and it’s definitely worth getting a test if you have any other symptoms besides falling asleep in meetings. Heavy snoring is another common symptom. The health consequences of going untreated with this condition can be severe, so please see your doctor.
Corporate culture here is such that few people bat an eye if you bring a laptop to the meeting and multitask with email, notetaking, and such. (however, if you have IM open, people will give you the eye) The occasional person may be playing a game on their phone, but I stress the “occasional” part as those people generally aren’t the decision-makers.
If I didn’t bring the laptop that day, I twiddle a pen and/or start making to-do lists of what else I need to Get Done. (grocery lists don’t count) And drink coffee in the meeting.
I’ve been known to have this problem. Post-lunch meetings are the worst. Though would you believe, since I’ve given up caffeine, I’ve actually been less sleepy during the day. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that the troughs aren’t as deep.
Today was a bit tough, though, since I stayed up late last night to watch the Patriots game. There were definitely a few minutes during our staff meeting today in which the arms of Morpheus were reaching out for me.
There is a famous physicist (damned if I can remember his name) who was famous for seemingly falling asleep during meetings, but at the end during Q & A he would suddenly wake up and come up with the most incisive questions.
Drink. Drink a lot. Drink until you are a big slushy bag of liquids. Soon you will need to pee. You will need to pee so bad, that you will know that if you even bat an eye you will pee your pants. That will keep you awake. I do this for long overnight drives and it works like a charm. Of course, I am free to dance as much as I need while alone in my car. You might look silly in a meeting.
OP back again folks - thanks for the input. I had not previously considered the sleep apnea angle and now think it might be a significant factor. Had another 2 1/2 hour meeting today and sticking a sharp object into the flesh of my hand helped a lot. For the next one, I’ll be trying out the liquids theory. But for now, I’m mostly off looking at the sleep apnea angle. Thanks for all your help.
Meetings are naturally sleep inducing. I simply stab myself in the thigh to stay awake. As we leave the meeting people often remark how dull it must have been from the amount of blood flowing down my legs.
I used to have the same problem. I would be energized and ready for the next project one minute. And the next, my eyes were rolling into the back of my head, and I could barely stay awake. Sometimes this would occur several times a day. I figured at first it was possibly a blood sugar issue, since I am Hypoglycemic. I would test my sugar, grab a snack if it was low, and go about my business. Until it happened one day as I was driving with my kids in the car. It was so bad, I had to pull over and catch a 15 minute nap. Thank goodness my kids are older (9 & 11 at the time). I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.
Narcolepsy symptoms usually first occur during ages 15 to 30.
The most common symptoms are:
•Periods of extreme drowsiness during the day. You may feel a strong urge to sleep, often followed by a short nap (sleep attack).
◦These periods last for about 15 minutes each, although they can be longer.
◦They may happen after eating, while driving, talking to someone, or during other situations.
◦Most often, you wake up feeling refreshed.
•Dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness. They involve seeing or hearing, and possibly other senses.
If any of this sounds like what you are experiencing, I strongly recommend seeing a doctor or sleep specialist. Hope this helps!
I’ve tried this, and it just doesn’t work, for a totally different reason. Sure, I am awake, but I find it really hard to concentrate on anything the people are saying. All I can think of is how badly I HAVE TO GO PEE.
Those kinds of meetings are awful. I find taking a drink in helps; just the movement of taking a sip now and then, but if you really have sleep apnea or something these little fixes will not help.
If you don’t, try these things. Believe it or not, you can chew gum quietly (just most people choose not to). You chew gum with your mouth CLOSED and not loudly. That helps.
But really no meetings should be 2.5 hours. Nothing is getting done.
