What is “getting your second wind” and how does our brain/body do it?

329 views

I work a lot of double shifts at my job. My normal shift is on days, then I go home for a few hours and come back at midnight to work 16 hours. The first 5 or 6 hours are a slog, and I’m constantly trying to stay awake, but then I just reach a point where I feel “normal” so to speak, even energetic at some times. What causes this feeling? How do our bodies do this?

In: 28

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I recently watched a GDC talk from someone describing crunch work culture at video game companies that said that the “second wind” is a myth and what you are actually experiencing is the part of your mind that tells you that you’re tired is falling asleep. The period of the second wind can feel like you are more energetic but in reality you are just as tired/out of energy you just aren’t trying to conserve what little you have left anymore because your brain is too tired to self-manage.

You are viewing 1 out of 6 answers, click here to view all answers.