I started staying up late until dawn during the vacation after my SSC exams. It all began with me getting trapped into the fabulous and addictive world of binge watching sitcoms and TV series throughout the nights. Most nights I could be found in the corner of my room, holding on to the edges of my laptop and weeping, or laughing or, blankly staring. It all went downhill from there. My sleep cycle changed and I could be seen sleeping more in the classroom than on my bed at night. There were times when I had to spend a whole night staring at the ceiling simply because I just couldn't sleep; neither did I have the strength to get up and watch something.

On nights when I would get lucky and fall asleep by 1 am or so, my eyes would shoot open at 4 am, causing thoughts of several kinds to take over my mind. So I figured, I'd have to do something about this awful situation and use the extra time my insomnia was granting me to do productive things. Here are a few things I do on nights I become an owl:

Making Lists: I think I am the kind of person who gets their heads crammed with chores, deadlines, and must-do obligations. As long as I don't dump these things out of my head on paper or set reminders on my phone, I can't do things right. So on nights like these, I sit with my pen and paper and make lists of all that I have to do in the coming days. That way, I save time and pretty much sort out when and where I will be in the next few days. This really calms me and sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can sleep afterwards.

OnePotChefShow: Yes, that's right. At 2:45 am, when I desperately want to fall asleep and I can't, I watch OnePotChefShow's videos on YouTube over and over again. The watching part might not be too productive but you can learn new recipes from these videos. I remember making pancakes and oven baked cheesy chips for my mother one morning (because I had spent the whole night learning how to make these). Maybe you'll even figure out how badly you want to be a chef after this. Productive, right?

Learning something new: I started learning to speak Spanish during one such night. And for 20 minutes every night, I now practise Spanish and am happy that at least my sleeplessness is going to help me learn another language. 

Hands on: This is my favourite thing to do. YouTube channels like HGTV, #Origami and others are really great for learning life hacks, DIY things etc. These channels are so cool that they can easily inspire you to make something out of nothing in seconds, no matter where you are. Making these don't take much effort but are incredibly fun.

Write write write: I generally use my notepad instead of my laptop to write during these hours. If there's something I feel like writing about, I write. Otherwise, my slouched back holding a pen and a blank paper really helps me to ignore the world and fall asleep. Believe me, if there's a writer in you, there's no better time to express yourself than the wee hours.

Even though it might seem like insomnia is a dreaded disorder, it doesn't have to be. Insomniacs like Charles Dickens, Margaret Thatcher and many others came up with their ideas in the middle of the night. Who knows, maybe insomniacs like you and I will find our ideas too! 

Mashiat Lamisa is often seen frowning at the sight of people who dislike poetry and tomatoes. She can be reached at mashiatlamisa@outlook.com