I’m working on this biosystems paper about the two-oscillator model of the circadian pacemaker. I chose this subject for the term paper because I wanted to learn more about my sleep schedule, and it’s been eductational so far. However, in the crunch between my NASPE abstract and this paper, I have discovered something else.

Recently in this very same course, we have been studying the body as a system. This includes problems like, “if 150 mg of Caffeine are injected into the blood relatively instantaneously, how long does the chemical stay in the cells of the body at an effective level?”

I’m going to pause for a few lines here…

Can you see where this is going?

Since I have neither an IV drip, nor purified caffeine, I’m doing the next best thing. Drinking half-cups of coffee approximately one per half hour. You see, chemical levels in the body generally end up being some kind of initial spike followed by a declining exponential curve, SO, to keep an effective level, drinking a cup of coffee at a time and then sitting here till I get up for another will result in a catastrophe of highs and lows of concentration and energy level. Drinking small amounts at regular intervals will keep me feeling pretty good (until I stop. then I feel like shit, woohoo).

I’m also doing this with food. I’m too busy to cook so I ordered some pizza, which I’m eating one piece per hour to avoid a rush of blood glucose and therefore a rush of insulin, putting me to sleep.

Normally I try to avoid abusing myself like this but it’s only till tomorrow, and then I have Thanksgiving break, so what the hell.

3.5 pages down, 3.5 pages to go. Then I go back to work on the abstract because I hate myself.