Posted on 11/28/2006 12:47:33 PM PST by pieceofthepuzzle
This is a curiosity-based vanity. My impression is that the average FReeper works very hard. Probably the most common reason people deprive themselves of sleep is to get work done. I've heard some amazing stories of how little sleep soldiers have gotten in the midst of combat. What's your story?
Incidentally, the longest I've ever gone without sleep was about 85 hours, with the help of a ton of coffee, Diet Coke, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.
Just over 51 hours, just to see how long I could last. Massive amounts of coffee and pixie stix.
Long, long ago, when I was actually young, I was up and awake for some 40 hours because my dad had suffered a stroke and was in the hospital and in critical condition. The next day I was scheduled to take a college final exam. What I found, to my great surprise, was that I seemed to have a virtual photographic memory of all the pages of text I had studied. I took the exam and left knowing I had done very well, indeed. As it turned out, I got the highest grade ever on that exam! But, by the time I'd left the exam room, and after I'd chatted with a few friends, I was startled to realize that I had forgotten where I'd parked my car.
48 Hours, Hangar Deck, USS Independence CV-62, 1983
Gosh, won't you die if you stay up that long?
It took three days to get over it. It really screwed me up...I was operating a critical piece of machinery at a construction project...On my feet the entire time and drove home, about 70 miles...I did not make it. I stopped at a rest area and slept for 6 hours before continuing.
Never forgot it....Never did it again, nor will ever do it...
They would stay up for as long as they could trying to achieve "free" hallucinations. One guy said he got there after 3 whole days and nights being awake.
At psychiatric hospitals arriving sleepless patients are put to sleep for a day or two because after a few days and up to three weeks of sleeplessness the hallucinations become bizarre and dangerous. After the sleeep therapy, the patients are more at baseline.
36 hours, driving across country. Hallucinating by the time I pulled over and fell asleep.
I think it was about 72 hours for me -- it was the 3 days after I lost my dad. I lived in New Orleans at the time and it was a long flight back to Pittsburgh. I'm not sure if I got absolutely no sleep but it wasn't much. I fainted on the 4th day.
I'm interested in hearing that and thank you for sharing. I have more than an average curiosity about it myself, since I awaken almost every night between 3 and 4 a.m. Also, I work downtown and there are homeless people there all hours of the day and night - I can't fathom how or if they sleep.
Many people awaken once or twice during the sleep period. They usually can submurge again within 15 minutes to a half hour. Sleep is not usually down in depth for the entire sleep period but has waves of depth and emergence in cycles throughout night. All within normal limits.
Problems arise with extrememly shortened or absent sleep.
I recall having studied it in a college class...psychology?
IIRC, tbl is caused when there is lack of Stage IV or REM sleep, or if a person awakens during REM they are more apt to feel tired or edgy...all this has something to do with folks who are able to take "power naps" but I can't intelligently say how any more since I took that class when I was about 18!
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