I apologize for double posting but I accidentally hit tab (to try to indent) and space bar (because it didn't work) and it posted the thread anyway before I was able to write everything it was that I had wanted to... (maybe it's because I'm tired )
The thing that I found interesting about having a minimal sleep was indeed the fact in and of itself that it got me thinking. For whatever reason (I'm not a biochemist and shall not pretend to be to come up with a reason why), my sleep depraved mind started to race and think about all sorts of non-relevant topics for the situation I was in. It also got me interested in chatting it up with whomever I could.
This feeling of chatty-ness reminded me of that similar feeling after you've had a few, which got me thinking about the similarities but also the key difference between the two. While under the influence, I've found that you tend to blurt out anything you can based on your surroundings, versus fatigue in which everything was thought out; I just wanted to let it out (as I am doing currently).
Anyway, I believe that this should suffice to stimulate your minds into thinking as well, without being a simple tl;dr.
I also find the less sleep i have, the adrenaline kicks in and i appears like i'm under the influence of .. something.
The initial buzz you get from being sleep deprived is fairly similar to the one you get from alcohol. Then you crash and burn - much like you do when you've had too much to drink or the alcohol wears off.
I also find the less sleep i have, the adrenaline kicks in and i appears like i'm under the influence of .. something.
That's true, once you tell your body that you won't sleep when it wants to you suddenly get a burst of energy from adrenaline. That makes sense and I guess it explains a lot of it.
Still though, the similarities between the effects of fatigue and those of alcohol are astonishing (the anger, distractions, impaired motor abilities, increased reaction time, etc.)
I used to go without sleeping for two days. I did it way too often when I was younger. One day I even went for a 120 KM bike ride and I felt okay. I had a hard time when I was trying to read or watch TV because I was getting sleepy around 1 pm but if I could make it I would get a second wind and I still could function. It's not good to deprive ourselves from sleeping because we sleep for a reason. I used to think that if there was a way to sit down for two hours and plug myself into some kind of power source I could appreciate life better and not lose so much time sleeping.
I can't function anymore when I don't sleep at least 4 hours because I'm older.
I've never got as tired as the above posters posted. The longest I've ever stayed awake was about 27 hours, and I did not have a second wind, didn't feel an adrenaline rush, and my eyes weren't trying to focus on everything at once... Because I couldn't keep them open. I was dead tired. I didn't like the way I felt when that tired, so I'm not going to go without sleep that long again.
Personally, I always prefer to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night (School nights only. On the weekends, I can get 10-11 hours easy.)
my sleep depraved mind started to race and think about all sorts of non-relevant topics for the situation I was in.
When a sleeping person has a dream (note: normal dreams, not night terrors, fever dreams, flashbacks, or supernatural dreams), it is the mind's way of "emptying the trash." All sorts of irrelevant, unimportant and miscellaneous information is collected and removed from the thought process, and the subconscious mind perceives it as a dream. While I'm no expert, I'd hazard a guess that your mind had, out of necessity, initiated the process while you were still awake.
This feeling of chatty-ness reminded me of that similar feeling after you've had a few, which got me thinking about the similarities but also the key difference between the two. While under the influence, I've found that you tend to blurt out anything you can based on your surroundings, versus fatigue in which everything was thought out; I just wanted to let it out (as I am doing currently).
While I do not drink, I can identify with the feeling you describe from experience with narcotic painkillers (just to be clear, YES, they were legitimately needed and prescribed for pain). The difference that you mention is a result of how intoxicants operate versus narcotics/lack of sleep: intoxicating substances, like alcohol, interfere with brain functions and subsequently weaken normal behavioral inhibitions, while strong painkillers and/or lack of sleep simply slow brain functions substantially.
I also get shaky and my eyes always seem to want to focus on everything at once
Additional symptoms that I have encountered when experiencing high levels of fatigue include loss of mental focus, inability to think straight, decreased coordination, headaches, blurring vision, and on occasion missing segments of time.
Is there good effects to not sleeping? I have (personally) never gone without too much sleep (the latest I have ever stayed up was like 3-4 am...). But like you said, if you don't sleep, your body feels it has to do something, so it puts you on adrenalin. Adrenalin is like caffeine, you feel energized when you are on it, but when it runs out, KABOOM, you crash and burn.
I am awesome at doing this! Not only does this goes for sleep, it goes for eating as well! It is similar to pain and fatigue, you push yourself further than the limit your body can go without stopping. It is harder than it sounds trust me! The reason why it is simple for me is because I use adrenaline like a power-up. When ever I get hyped-up, I "store" it for later and when I need to use it I can use a lot of it! It sounds messed up but I like doing it. By the way, you would have to been doing that your whole life!
If playing a game with Death, no matter what he will win. Ten days lack of sleep=death. And don't say "Oh, so and so lasted longer" because what would happen if so and so went for an eleventh day? There are no good points to not sleeping. Why do you think we do it? Why do you think we invented beds? It's not because sleeping is a leisure, it is a necessity.
because what would happen if so and so went for an eleventh day?
So and so did last a full 11th day. He hallucinated a lot and his mental abilities were diminished during the sleep deprivation, but he had no long-term effects and was back to normal in just a few days.
