Sleep Deprivation

I wanted to write about sleep deprivation because I experience it regularly. This past week was no exception. I was working on a deadline and I had 2 hours of sleep in 4 days. I have techniques I can use to stay awake and (fairly) alert during those times -- I do quick breathing and jumping jacks to increase blood and oxygen flow, I use accupressure points and I do a lot of eye movements and wiggling the legs to stay in motion. There are a few hours when I get so exhausted that I literally could curl up in a gravel pit with bugs and be comfortable sleeping there. When you go with that little sleep, there are moments when you literally become physically ill and want to throw up. It's an interesting study in the behavior of the human body. (I used to have terrible insomnia but now my sleep deprivation is mostly self-inflicted.)

It does seem that sleep deprivation is a difficult thing to recover from -- because even though I slept for about 12 hours when I finally could sleep, I had resulting side effects for several days after such as feelings of being overwhelmed with life, not wanting to work anymore, not wanting to make any decisions, and just a general malaise.

Scientifically things happen to your physical and mental body when you lack sleep. You have a tendency to gain weight, be more irritable, and can suffer from depression. This is because your body is not given time to regenerate. These things can all perpetuate a lifestyle which is not full of energy and enthusiasm.

It is interesting to note that during the 3 or 4 days since my week of no sleep, I have dreamt much more than normal. My brain has a week of processing to do in less time so it is taking advantage of the sleep time.

Needless to say, I've done this particular study way too many times and each time I think "I'm not going to do this again." However, it seems that I haven't set myself a pattern to keep this from happening again. But I do see the toll it takes on me not only physically, but emotionally as well. Although I have learned much by these experiments, I do not recommend you try this at home.