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?
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How energetic you feel has more to do with time of day and your daily schedule than anything else. Your body triggers certain conditions like hunger and wanting to sleep out if habit than actual need: you can go few days withour sleep if you have to; you can go weeks without eating; few days without drinking. However you feel like you have to eat, drink and sleep at certain times. This is because of circadian rhythm.
So if you push through those dips in energy that your body gets at specific times of the day, your body will normalise itself. This is what you might call 2nd wind.
It is important to remember that the biggest component for thrist, hunger and tiredness is psychological. Which is why you can psyche through them if you are aware of it. Also why some drugs that affect mood can change the way you experience these, making you feel them less or more.
If your body is actually properly tired, such as lacking nutrients, hydration or sleep, you will experience it in an entirely different manner. Your body and mind will simply stop working as well, and your blood pressure, breathing and heart rate will go wonky; along with your gut.
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