Ad Accounts Are More Important Than Sleep: Chronicles of a Moderation Addiction

Introduction: Life Between “Create Campaign” and “Your Account Has Been Blocked”
If you’ve been in affiliate marketing for more than a day, you know: advertising isn’t about creatives, and not even about traffic. It’s about the never-ending war with moderation. Some people start their morning with coffee; an affiliate starts it by opening an ad account. Check if the creatives passed, if the account got banned, if the pre-landers survived. And here’s the familiar pulse of life: “Got an approval — you can live. No approval — the day is ruined.”

Moderation becomes a ritual. People quit smoking, go on diets — but no one quits refreshing ad accounts.

Symptoms of Addiction

F5 Syndrome
The hand automatically reaches for the refresh key. Every 15 minutes, sometimes every 30 seconds. It’s like checking your messenger waiting for a text from an ex.

Dreams of Bans
An affiliate can honestly go to bed at 1 a.m., but at 3 a.m. will jump up to check: “What if the white account just got banned?” Sleep is a luxury. Moderation is the priority.

Double Reality Mania
In real life you’re sitting in a bar with friends. In your head, you’re running scenarios: “What if I swap the creative for a softer one? What if I shift the budget to another source?”
Physically here, mentally — there, where your account’s fate is decided.

Depression from the Red Stripe
For regular people, the word “Rejected” means bureaucracy. For an affiliate, “Rejected” is a personal tragedy, almost like a breakup.

Typical Addiction Scenarios

The Night Watch
The buyer planned to sleep at 11 p.m., but at 2:30 a.m. is still at the laptop: “Just a little longer — and moderation will release the campaign.” The day then starts shattered, fueled by a liter of coffee.

Multiple Checks
The same account is open on laptop, phone, and even tablet. The affiliate duplicates checks — “just to make sure nothing was missed.”

The Lottery Effect
Every new creative submission feels like buying a casino ticket. “Will it pass? Won’t it pass?” The adrenaline hits like gambling.

Tunnel Vision
All life plans are postponed for one thing — to outwait moderation. Meetings, dinners, sports — all secondary until the red cross turns green.

Why Does This Even Happen?

High Stakes
Money isn’t abstract here. You know: one campaign can cover office rent for a month. One ban can erase a week of work.

Psychological Dependency
Every “Approved” is like a small dose of dopamine. The red “Rejected” is withdrawal. Social media algorithms become invisible drug dealers of your mood.

Industry Culture
Buyers boast not only about profit but also about the number of live accounts. In the community, it’s normal: “No accounts — no person.” That fuels the race.

The Dark Side

Life in “ad accounts before sleep” mode has consequences:

• Chronic fatigue, no routine.
• Health problems — from basic gastritis to psychosomatic issues.
• Burnout, when you don’t even want to look at creatives anymore.

The most ironic part? People selling “health,” “energy,” and “a happy life” through offers live the opposite: sleepless nights, energy drinks, and permanent stress.

How to Survive the Addiction

Schedule Check Sessions
Don’t refresh every 10 minutes. Set a rule — check campaigns three times a day. Hard, yes. But it works.

Delegate
If you’re in a team — split duties. One person monitors, others optimize.

Technical Hacks
Set up alerts and notifications. Better to have a Telegram bot tell you about a ban than kill your eyes staring at the screen.

Take Care of Your Health
Sounds cliché, but morning runs and at least 6 hours of sleep really make you more effective. No ad account is worth your health.

Ad accounts will burn, die, and resurrect. Algorithms will change, moderation will annoy. But your body and mind are the only resource you can’t buy.

So yes, ad accounts may sometimes be more important than sleep.
But don’t let them become more important than your life.