Has making webcomics ruined your sleep schedule?

[aspiderjonny]

I don't think I've had a normal night's sleep since I started producing my webcomics. Sometimes I'm awake in the day. Sometimes at night. Sometimes both. There's been at least three days where I've hit the 24 hour mark. Even then I still miss my personal deadlines. Just seems like I can't win.
You can share your sleep (or not-sleep) stories here.

[TristanJensen]

My sleep schedule is fine. Its my SCHOOL schedule that's completely messed up.
The thing is I'm homeschooled, and I do all my school on a laptop I don't know the password to that three other people need to use (we had two but...). So making comics almost directly overlaps when I do my work which complicates things sometimes.
And having to do it over the summer isn't very helpful either...

[UzukiCheverie]

I don't know why so many artists act like such martyrs all the time when it comes to sleep. I work 20+ hours a week at Starbucks, plus another 20+ hours a week at school, yet I'm still able to update a comic series every single week day and still get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

I see so many artists - some way older and more experienced than me, which makes me feel like they should know better - who are like "YEAH WELL I ONLY SLEPT 3 HOURS LAST NIGHT". Well, good for you, but I couldn't care less, especially because it's not a competition. To me, a lack of sleep because of your personal work is nothing to be proud of; it just means your schedule's flawed and you haven't perfected the work flow yet to efficiently produce content and still get a good night's rest.

So no, making webcomics has not ruined my sleep schedule. I'm gonna draw for the next 3 hours until midnight, then get a good night's rest, wake up at 8, go to class, and then come home and work on some comics some more u o u Staying up late to do my comics would probably just tick me off IMO lol I'm all for staying up late, but I have my limits for how long I can work on comics at once, and spending too much time working on it will wear me out and make me lose interest in drawing at all.

[Raven_C]

These days I still get enough sleep, it's just that my schedule has shifted. I stay up 'til like 4AM and wake up at noon and I'm fine with it. Of course, if I've got a class, that's a whole different story. I'm just glad it's summer now, so I have more time for comics.

[CiciEnixa]

You mean "Has it ruined my sleeping patterns which were already ruined from the very beginning?" Not really, no XD Because school is more or less done for me at the moment, I'm actually getting MORE sleep. I only used to sleep 2 hours a day before, with the occasional 12 hours in the weekends, but now I'd say I'm getting a more even number of hours each day.

[aspiderjonny]

Limits is definitely the problem for me. I don't pay attention to how long I'm working on something and I really should start to.

[ghostnxs]

Nope, I always go to bed at midnight unless I have to get up before 8. I make sure I have 7 hours of sleep minimum. Time management. I always draw days ahead of time so I'm don't draw on days there are updates, reasons why I draw usually in black and white/greyscale. Sure I don't have a comic for the time being but I still draw and manage my time. I Spend less time playing video games. So the only thing that ruins my sleep schedule is noise or people or people who make noise.

[aspiderjonny]

My classes are done and I thought I'd get more sleep, but it's actually had the opposite effect. I think I needed that constant reason to get up at 8am to keep a proper schedule.

[Zannen00]

Limits is definitely the problem for me. I don't pay attention to how long I'm working on something and I really should start to.

You mean your so engrossed on drawing that you loose track of time?

WOW....I started drowsily nodding off when if its too late at night (or tired)
So i say,that's it dude,close that comp and crash on the bed now

.....Can I insert I'LL SLEEP WHEN IM DEAD joke here?

[scythe]

If anything, it's saved my sleeping schedule and made me a healthier person. I go to bed earlier and get up earlier now. I used to be terrible. Staying up till 2 or even 3, for no good reason at all. That was probably fine when I was in my early 20s, but I've got to think of my long term health now.

[SpavVy]

Making comics has not messed up my sleep schedule, I do that all on my own without the help of webcomic making. Some nights I fall asleep around 6 or 7pm, other nights I can stay up till the next day though I end up getting jitters from it. Some nights I just have wicked bad insomnia shrugs
A lot of us are not even making money off of our comics so why lose sleep over it?

[aspiderjonny]

I guess that is true. From the outside I must look crazy staying up all day and night for something i'm doing for free.

[scythe]

Couldn't agree more. Actually, I'd go further and say I'd only be fine with losing sleep over this stuff if it was bringing me in 6 or 7 figures. Good health is just too valuable. I got shingles last month, and while I can't say that my comic caused it, surely it would have been a contributing factor.

When I used to stay up all hours I it had a noticeable effect on my heart rate. That can't be good.

Now I'm much more chill about updates.

[SpavVy]

Well it's just in my perspective anyway xD
(it wasn't to sound harsh just so you know, I can come across as mean sometimes when I'm not trying to be)
It's just I really don't see the point, I find it rather silly to lose sleep over something that doesn't get you payed and doesn't have a deadline to go with it. I'll admit I did pull an all nighter working on my comic before, but that was only because I was having fun working on a certain page and lost track of time while listening to Pandora. One thing is certain I regretted it when the crash finally hit me like a ton of bricks. Losing sleep can also hurt the comic IMO.

[SpavVy]

Same, I'd only be okay with losing sleep if I was making a decent amount of money from it which I hope to eventually be able to do but hopefully not to the point of losing sleep. And shingles?! Damn that sucks ;( I hear that's really painful.
I have to be chill on updates because it costs me money to be able to update, I work mostly traditional for the actual comic and I work with manuscript paper that the professionals in Japan use which is too big for a normal scanner so I have to go to a STAPLES store to have someone scan it which costs money. If I go full digital it will take longer and kill my shoulders @.@ so I end up fighting with myself thinking let's see, wallet or shoulders? Wallet or shoulders?
WALLET OR SHOULDERS?!

[ratique]

If you are staying up just because of your comic, then you are doing something wrong. You might want to consider updating less often to give yourself more time.

But if you are staying up because that is just how you are, then go ahead. There are people who can operate fine on 3 to 5 hours of sleep and do not mind being miserable the next day. I am not one of those people, although I often get 6 hours due to my 2 hour commute to work. My comic is definitely not at fault here though.

I draw a little bit after work, but most of my drawing is done on the weekend. So everything stays nice and relaxed.

[scythe]

Well, to be fair, there is a requisite level of crazy required when committing yourself to something like a regular web comic.

[Jelw]

Just because you have the luxury of free time which you can devote to your comics, don't assume everyone else does.
Irresponsible habbits aren't something to be bragged about, and a lot of time that is what the lack of sleep boils down to for some artists, but for others that lack of sleep is an attestment for persevering to make comics even when there is so much else going on.
I spend roughly 80 hours a week at high school. Outside of that I have other life responsibilities which constantly keep me from being able to sit at a computer and draw for an extended amount of time. Some people don't have the room for art in a day so they have to make it cut into their sleep and they shouldn't undergo judgement just because they apparently don't "know better" for doing so.

[WarkDatch]

Nop, i only do comics on my free time or when i only feel like i want to draw, and same with @TristanJensen, school messed up my sleep schedule.

But yeah dude, don't force yourself on making comics, just relax. (im so bad at giving advices)

[MylCreates]

All my schedules are messed up, I get no more than 4 hours a night, especially recently, it's terrible. I suppose it's been getting worse because my eyes and fingers twitch a lot more frequently than usual. o_e