Sam doesn’t have an “off” switch, like a normal person.
There had been those few years of his adolescence when his body needed sleep so badly that it overrode his brain. But even then, he insisted on getting up over and over again to spar with Dean or to run a half mile longer. Rebellion was strange; he hated that training but refused to stop until his dad or his brother physically stopped him.
Academics was another area where Sam always had trouble drawing a line. In high school, his studying had been interrupted frequently by a hunt or a move or an injury. Once he arrived at Stanford, he would stay up studying all night before an exam even when he knew all of the material. The research for his papers and projects was exhaustive - easily twice as many hours as most of his classmates. The fear of losing his scholarship had been pervasive.
Jess lacked the same switch as Sam, so she hadn’t made attempts to change his habits. They indulged together, sometimes with Red Bull and sometimes with amphetamines. Get straight As, crash for a day and a half, start all over again.
Dean, of course, tells Sam frequently to sleep more, slow down, give himself a break. Always has. But since Dean doesn’t do much in the way of practicing what he preaches, it’s ineffective even when Sam tries to make it look like he’s trying.
This system had been in place for so many years, it was (and many times still is) Sam’s default setting. After the trials, Dean sidelined him so often that he kicked up his exercise; runs were twice as long, conditioning increased substantially. He needed to get his old body back, build muscle, boost stamina.
After Gadreel...well, several things had happened after that. Most importantly, Sam and Castiel’s friendship becoming stronger than it had ever been in the past.
Cas isn’t a fan of Sam’s routine. Regardless of the state of his angelic grace, installing an off switch in Sam’s brain is beyond his capabilities. Fortunately, there are other ways to help Sam make better choices. And Cas - any version of Cas - when he wants to be, is more bossy than Dean even on Dean’s best day.
FILLED - Dimmer Switch 1/2
There had been those few years of his adolescence when his body needed sleep so badly that it overrode his brain. But even then, he insisted on getting up over and over again to spar with Dean or to run a half mile longer. Rebellion was strange; he hated that training but refused to stop until his dad or his brother physically stopped him.
Academics was another area where Sam always had trouble drawing a line. In high school, his studying had been interrupted frequently by a hunt or a move or an injury. Once he arrived at Stanford, he would stay up studying all night before an exam even when he knew all of the material. The research for his papers and projects was exhaustive - easily twice as many hours as most of his classmates. The fear of losing his scholarship had been pervasive.
Jess lacked the same switch as Sam, so she hadn’t made attempts to change his habits. They indulged together, sometimes with Red Bull and sometimes with amphetamines. Get straight As, crash for a day and a half, start all over again.
Dean, of course, tells Sam frequently to sleep more, slow down, give himself a break. Always has. But since Dean doesn’t do much in the way of practicing what he preaches, it’s ineffective even when Sam tries to make it look like he’s trying.
This system had been in place for so many years, it was (and many times still is) Sam’s default setting. After the trials, Dean sidelined him so often that he kicked up his exercise; runs were twice as long, conditioning increased substantially. He needed to get his old body back, build muscle, boost stamina.
After Gadreel...well, several things had happened after that. Most importantly, Sam and Castiel’s friendship becoming stronger than it had ever been in the past.
Cas isn’t a fan of Sam’s routine. Regardless of the state of his angelic grace, installing an off switch in Sam’s brain is beyond his capabilities. Fortunately, there are other ways to help Sam make better choices. And Cas - any version of Cas - when he wants to be, is more bossy than Dean even on Dean’s best day.