TSD

There's a section in my book--which I sent back to the publisher yesterday, hence my reappearance in the world of the living--where I talk about a form of antidepressant therapy called Total Sleep Deprivation, or TSD. In essence, TSD involves several cycles of staying up for 36 straight hours. According to the research that's been done on it, TSD is extremely effective, lifting moods almost immediately. The downside? The lift goes away as soon as you get in a good "recovery sleep." And, eventually, you have to get in a recovery sleep, or you'll have bigger problems than depression.

Because I am a dedicated journalist--OK, OK, because I am a dedicated procrastinator, are you happy now?--I did a little TSD experiment the other day. I got up at 7 am on Monday morning, and didn't go to sleep until 9 pm on Tuesday night. (Because that's how long it took me to put in the final changes in 16 chapters, three appendices, an introduction and an acknowledgements section. Yeah, I know. I'm slow.) I didn't get a wink of sleep folks, much less two winks.

And let me tell you...it works. Yup. No depression at all. AND I was hip-deep in PMS-mode. This no-sleeping-at-all thing is pretty miraculous.

It's also for the birds. I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER do that again. I slept 11 hours last night, and I STILL feel like a truck ran over me this morning. Yeah, so I wasn't bawling and snapping at people all day yesterday. Big whoop. Instead, today, I'm stumbling and drooling. And I don't even have a newborn I can blame it on.

I'm 40 years old, and I did an honest-to-goodness all-nighter. I have got to get a real life. And a nap.