Name the most difficult physical task you can imagine. Lifting a heavy object? Out running an angry bear? Jumping over a wide chasm?

How about this one: staying awake when your mind and body want to sleep?

You know the feeling. It’s been a long day and you’ve enjoyed a good evening meal. Now you’re at a meeting and the air conditioner just isn’t doing its job. As the speaker drones on and on, your eyelids begin to droop and your eyeballs roll back as if to examine their sockets. Your mind begins to shut down. Your head begins to nod. Suddenly, your head nods a bit too far and jerks back to a normal position while your eyes open widely and you attempt to regain your focus. You hope no one noticed! The speaker drones on and you begin the process of attempting to stay awake all over again.

Staying awake can be difficult. For me the problem began innocently enough in high school when the first study hall after lunch was just too much to endure. After a while I gave up, put my head down on the desk and caught a few winks until the bell awoke me with a start.

By the time I got to college I was working nearly 40 hours a week and attempting to maintain some semblance of a social life while carrying a full class load. The issue of staying awake became more of a problem. The worst situation I can remember in that setting was a music appreciation class which was scheduled immediately after lunch. It was a great class with an excellent instructor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But when the instructor put the needle down on a classical recording the heavy lunch began its hypnotic effect. I tried caffeinated beverages and “stay awake” pills to no avail. I hope the instructor didn’t take my dozing personally.

My first full-time job required a 4 a.m. wake up, something that played havoc with a young bachelor’s night life (such as it was.) Fighting sleep became a major problem when my buddy Rich and I drove to Des Moines for a little social life. Leaving the capitol city sometime after midnight Rich drove my car back to his ISU campus apartment in Ames while I slept. Then I drove the final 45 minutes to my home.

The route home (before I-35) took me along Little Wall Lake on U.S. Highway 69 between Ames and Jewell. At one point the road is only a few yards from the shore. As a non-swimmer my greatest fear during those early morning trips was that I would fall asleep and drive into the lake. I rolled the window down (even in the winter) and turned the radio volume wide open. I sang along with the music or screamed out the window; anything to stay awake and avoid driving into Little Wall Lake. My guardian angel performed wonderfully and I always made it home.

A couple of times, though, he (she?) allowed my wheels to hit the shoulder of the highway. Gravel hitting the wheel wells woke me up quickly … for a few minutes at least.

One evening my drowsiness nearly cost me my dignity. While spending an evening with a group of friends, I fell asleep on a sofa and awoke sometime later to find my hand in a bowl of warm water. My pals were testing the old theory that placing a sleeping subject’s hand in warm water causes him to wet his pants. Fortunately, I awoke before the theory could be proven. In the years that followed my work hours became more traditional and I got more sleep.

Still, the battle to stay awake raged on. I have been retired for nearly a dozen years but by 10 p.m. the urge to sleep becomes powerful. I believe some of our international friends have the answer to this problem with their daily siestas. I recall working for some old German farmers who stretched out under a shade tree for a few winks after a big noon meal. It allowed the meal to settle and worked out the “drowsies.” When you follow the next summer Olympics and the observe the well-muscled athletes reach for the gold, remember that one of the toughest physical tasks of all is simply staying awake when every fiber of your body wants to sleep. I’ve been in training for years.

Arvid Huisman can be contacted at huismaniowa@gmail.com. ©2025 by Huisman Communications.