sleep questions

[cellio]

I got this from gregbo.

1. How many hours do you normally sleep at night?

About 7.5 on average. Sunday is sleep-in day; it's the only day when I don't have to set an alarm and I usually get about 9 hours then.

2. Do you wish you had more time to sleep? Or do you wish that you slept less?

I wish that I required less sleep, or that there were more hours available in the day.

3. Do you like sleeping?

I like the results but I'm indifferent to the act itself. I mean, it's not like I'm really in a position to notice as it happens...

4. What is the longest continuous period that you have spent awake? Why did you do it?

I'm not certain of the longest continuous period; it was probably a stretch of 36 hours or so, either on a gaming weekend or in college due to homework/exams.

The most spectacular stretch of wakefulness that I remember is a 72-hour period in college during which I got approximately five hours of sleep, in chunks no longer than an hour. It was an outrageously busy semester and all the major assignments were due a once. (I was taking an atypical combination of classes, so this timing wasn't hosing anyone else I knew.) This was when I learned that while caffeine in the wild is good stuff, No-Doz is absolutely evil. And yes, I was following the package instructions correctly.

5. If you were offered the chance to eliminate sleep from your life, with absolutely no negative physical or psychological side effects, would you take it? Why or why not? What if this chance was only possible for you, and not for any of your friends or family, or society at large?

No negative effects? In a heartbeat! Sure, there would be some awkward nights in settings like Pennsic, where I can't just stay up and play on the computer or make noise without bothering others, but in general, the idea that I could run out of interesting things to do in my own home is completely foreign to me. I don't understand people who get bored, unless there are external factors (stuck visiting the annoying relatives, illness precluding you from doing things you enjoy, etc). There are so many things I could do to put that time to use, and that don't require other people (so I don't have to care if no one else is awake)! Elimintating the need for sleep would approximately double my free time; I fail to see how this could be bad.

(I am curious to know whether anyone I know would answer this last question differently. It seems that obvious to me.)

Comments

[profane-stencil.livejournal.com]

The last part of #5 is easy: I would have no problem at all with being the only person in the world who didn't sleep. I'm usually up until 4am, so the advantages of being awake while the rest of the world seems to be asleep are familiar to me.

The first part is tough to answer, however, as I actually enjoy sleeping. I certainly would never get bored, and I actually might accomplish more, as well.

I think I would prefer to lose the need for sleep, while still being able to nap when I wanted to. Eliminate it from my life? Probably not.

[Disclaimer: I'm self-employed, and live in a quiet neighborhood with just my wife (and five cats who sleep when we do), so I have more control over my sleep than most people. Therefore, I value it differently.]

[siderea]

Me, too. Except for having a wife and cats. And I'm no longer self-employed and my boss would like me to show up during business hours more, so I see fewer 4ams (though I haven't managed to eliminate them entirely -- I like them way too much).

[cellio]

Losing the need for sleep while retaining the option seems, clearly, the best of both worlds. Daydreaming and napping can be pleasant, and sometimes social conventions call for sleep. But I'd sure like to be able to devote a lot less time to it, doing it only when I want to and not because I have to.

[sekhmets-song.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy with this scenario. I like sleeping too much to not want to ever do it. But, yeah, I'd like to be the one to chose when and how much.
And I'd definitely like to be able to sleep through sicknesses. I'd hate to be forced to be awake for an entire bout of the flu!