I Wrote This At 4am Sick With Covid !!exclusive!! -

Inevitably, these late-night dispatches receive replies from other insomniacs, night-shift workers, or fellow COVID patients across different time zones. A temporary, invisible community forms around the shared experience of misery. 3. Themes of the Late-Night COVID Essay

Finding a "cool spot" on the pillow that lasts for more than thirty seconds.

and to be compassionate with yourself. If you’re reading this while also staring at the ceiling, know that you’re not alone in this journey

Turn your phone brightness to the absolute lowest setting and enable night mode. The blue light tells your brain it is daytime, suppressing melatonin and making it even harder to fall back asleep once your fever breaks. The Sun Will Rise i wrote this at 4am sick with covid

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While waiting for the NyQuil to kick in, I have had several profound revelations. I am writing them down here so that when I am healthy again and embarrassed by this article, I cannot delete them.

The sun comes up. The birds start their annoying, chipper chorus. Your partner stirs. The house wakes up. And you are still there, phone in hand, eyes burning, a 3,000-word fever document open on your screen. Themes of the Late-Night COVID Essay Finding a

You are not alone.

So, here is the raw, unfiltered data from the brain of a sick person at 4 AM.

I looked at my Slack notifications. Someone had a “critical” question about a spreadsheet. I laughed. I laughed so hard I started coughing, then I laughed through the coughing. There is nothing critical about spreadsheets. The only critical thing right now is finding the remote control that slipped between the mattress and the wall. The blue light tells your brain it is

I don't know what the next few days will bring, but I'm trying to focus on the present moment. I'm trying to take it one sentence at a time, one word at a time. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

The hardest part of the 4 AM sickness window is the feeling that the night will last forever. It won't. In a few hours, the sky will soften into grey, then morning light. The rest of the world will wake up, pharmacies will open, and you can reach out to your doctor or loved ones for support.