Man claims new sleepless record

[arsenal]

Now I know you can't take everything you see on tv as fact. But there was a House episode (as mentioned above) where they mentioned something along th lines of if you don't get enough sleep, it will actually kill you. I think the body needs REM sleep.

[The Yen Man]

Hmm, I always thought your body heals faster while you're sleeping. Isn't that why people who are sick or injured are told to get more rest?

[Flames09]

I've gone 3 days without sleeping, no joke the second I sat in a cushioned chair I was out.. and out for more then 13 hours..

[Dion]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Hmm, I always thought your body heals faster while you're sleeping. Isn't that why people who are sick or injured are told to get more rest?

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/alternativ...25/heal.sleep/

Part of sleep's effect lies in hormones. During deep sleep, the production of growth hormone is at its peak. Growth hormone speeds the absorption of nutrients and amino acids into your cells and aids the healing of tissues throughout your body. The hormone also stimulates your bone marrow, where your immune system cells are born.

Melatonin, often called the sleep hormone, is also produced during sleep. This hormone inhibits tumors from growing, prevents viral infections, stimulates your immune system, increases antibodies in your saliva, has antioxidant properties and enhances the quality of sleep.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Azure

I don't think a normal person could ever survive without at least a decent amount each night.

Especially a relatively active person.

When I was working garveyard shift I often got 2-4 hours sleep per day. Still was able to function fully at my job. However on my days off the sleep deprevation kicked in and I would sleep an average of 12 hours during those days off.

For whatever reason I couldn't sleep much during the day. After 2-4 hours sleep i'd be wide awake. It was only when I got off garveyard did i return to a normal 8 hour sleeping pattern.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

As I understand it, the health benefits of sleep are not well understood; however, there is ample evidence to suggest that sleep is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle. Symptoms of sleep deprivation include emotional distress, fatigue, depression, heart problems, hypertension and tremors, as well as slurred speech, and poor reaction time, not to mention weight gain. Moreover:

In fact, sleep is so important to our overall health that total sleep deprivation has been proven to be fatal: lab rats denied the chance to rest die within two to three weeks.

So yeah--it's pretty clear that you will die without sleep. But long before that, your quality of life will suffer:

Without adequate rest, the brain's ability to function quickly deteriorates. The brain works harder to counteract sleep deprivation effects, but operates less effectively: concentration levels drop, and memory becomes impaired. Similarly, the brain's ability to problem solve is greatly impaired. Decision-making abilities are compromised, and the brain falls into rigid thought patterns that make it difficult to generate new problem-solving ideas. Insufficient rest can also cause people to have hallucinations.

http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/art...p-deprivation/

So no--sleep isn't merely an adaptation to the day/night cycle. It's absolutely vital to one's quality of life.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

So no--sleep isn't merely an adaptation to the day/night cycle. It's absolutely vital to one's quality of life.

Not just quality of life, but sounds like it is essential to survival as well.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by arsenal

Not just quality of life, but sounds like it is essential to survival as well.

Yep. And here I am, at 4:00 in the morning, on the internet. Welcome to new parenthood, right?

[Ozy_Flame]

I can see prolonged durations of staying awake, especially for days. Everyone can get a second or third 'wind' that can keep you going, given the right conditions. Usually I'm asleep at 3 in the morning, but when my mind keeps busy, it's not hard to stay up. If I'm having good conversation, am running outside, playing a captivating video game, or boinking my girlfriend, I can easily stay up no problem.

Of course, you feel like **** the next day, but then you just keep using 'winds' to get you through. =)