Can someone explain the "hygiene" part of this?
Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
11–20 of 31 posts
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#12The test subjects were 91 software engineers [...]. [...] no fewer than 20.9 per cent [...] and a further 35.2 per cent [...] Sorry, but I can't take a study serious that has less than 100 participants and presents results with a place after the decimal point.
Not to mention some serious sampling bias. The reason for stress could be cultural or geographic. To say it's because they're coders is silly.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#13There is something magic in the mind when you work until late, it seems that the lack of distractions really help, but if your body is not prepared, the next day you loose al the time that you have saved triying just to be wake up.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know, I work at my university as a mobile software engineer and I have trouble going to sleep at night as well. It's hard to think about a million different problems a day and how to solve them then just cut all that off at 10-11 or so each night. It probably doesn't help that coding is my hobby as well as my profession, so it really doesn't ever get turned off.
2 things that in combination completely eliminate sleep issues for me: - f.lux (time of day dependent display colour temperature) - physical exercise If I drop either for more than a few days, I'm back in insomnia land. If I exercised every single day, I'm sure I wouldn't need f.lux. Unfortunately, exercise takes quite a bit of willpower in winter (no nearby gyms).
I wonder if there's correlation between below-average physical activity and insomnia? I assume that a lot of coders---by necessity of their task and the tools they use---spend most of a week sitting as opposed to, say, a mail carrier or store clerk. Given that we're a species that evolved to leverage mobility for our survival, it's not a stretch to imagine that our bodies developed a dependency on lactic acid buildup and other "fatigue toxins" as one of the signals that sleepytime is at hand.
Has anyone done this study? It seems like a pretty straightforward study to do if some grad student out there is looking for a paper.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#15"Lifestyle management programmes which include sleep hygiene and care should be incorporated as a policy matter in the IT industry." Yes, because adults need other adults to tell them when they should go to sleep.. All you really need is management that knows a thing or two about software engineering and a bit of a "don't worry, we'll fix it tomorrow, go home"-attitude. If you're a manager and your team is constantly…
I don't think it's entirely a management issue.
There are plenty of coders working normal hours then coding into the night on personal projects and missing sleep as a result. It's almost become a macho thing amongst developers - when was the last time you pulled an all-nighter, how many hours have you put into project X.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#16Ha! The key phrase is the following: "The test subjects were 91 software engineers working at a Mysore-based development firm." It must suck to work there...
I don't know, I work at my university as a mobile software engineer and I have trouble going to sleep at night as well. It's hard to think about a million different problems a day and how to solve them then just cut all that off at 10-11 or so each night. It probably doesn't help that coding is my hobby as well as my profession, so it really doesn't ever get turned off.
I've learned over the years that if I come up with something useful as I try to fall asleep, instead of hopping out of bed, I just consciously save it for the morning. It's like waking up with a gift. And often the brain has done some useful offline optimizing.
To shut down the problem-solving machinery I usually fantasize about being starting point guard for the Lakers. May sound silly for a grown man, but it works for me.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
2 things that in combination completely eliminate sleep issues for me: - f.lux (time of day dependent display colour temperature) - physical exercise If I drop either for more than a few days, I'm back in insomnia land. If I exercised every single day, I'm sure I wouldn't need f.lux. Unfortunately, exercise takes quite a bit of willpower in winter (no nearby gyms).
I wonder if there's correlation between below-average physical activity and insomnia? I assume that a lot of coders---by necessity of their task and the tools they use---spend most of a week sitting as opposed to, say, a mail carrier or store clerk. Given that we're a species that evolved to leverage mobility for our survival, it's not a stretch to imagine that our bodies developed a dependency on lactic acid buildup…
It's a recurring topic on HN. There seems to be plenty of anecdotal evidence for it.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#18Going to sleep at 3AM and waking up at 9AM for work. Yep. :/
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
2 things that in combination completely eliminate sleep issues for me: - f.lux (time of day dependent display colour temperature) - physical exercise If I drop either for more than a few days, I'm back in insomnia land. If I exercised every single day, I'm sure I wouldn't need f.lux. Unfortunately, exercise takes quite a bit of willpower in winter (no nearby gyms).
f.lux is really great, it helped me a lot as well.
Same here. I've been using f.lux for the past month or so, it seems to help with getting back to a 'normal' sleep schedule. I mostly wanted to start sleeping earlier so that I would get more daylight during the winter.
Re: Most coders have sleep problems, need 'hygiene and care'
#20Ha! The key phrase is the following: "The test subjects were 91 software engineers working at a Mysore-based development firm." It must suck to work there...
I don't know, I work at my university as a mobile software engineer and I have trouble going to sleep at night as well. It's hard to think about a million different problems a day and how to solve them then just cut all that off at 10-11 or so each night. It probably doesn't help that coding is my hobby as well as my profession, so it really doesn't ever get turned off.
Night owl coder here. It comes with the job I think, our job is creative and our minds toy with us to no end.
I have found I can "cut off" the deep thoughts by writing them down. I keep a notebook next to my bed and if I can't fall asleep because of something I want to program, I will write out everything about it in the notebook. After that, I'm far more relaxed because I am not worried about losing the knowledge once I fall asleep.