GuyOnAWire

A few nights ago at our killer Trivia Team party (Our team name’s Quiz in My Pants if you’re interested), I was reminded of a thought I once had in my youth. A friend and I were discussing how tired we were when he had mentioned a study from a book on sleep deprivation.

In this study, people were asked to go into a completely soundproof chamber and just sit there. No sound, no lights, no distractions. You’d imagine those people must have been quite bored. So what did these people do? They slept, a lot. Some people slept for up to 48 hours. I guess they really needed it, huh?

See as a kid, I used to wonder if I got up an hour early, would that affect my overall number? Would I need to make up that hour the next night?

Well over time, as you all might have experienced, these hours can add up, to the point in which one can feel like a zombie; running through the motions instead of being truly present. This feeling is a terrible one, often felt by college students, professionals, and insomniacs.

How many hours do you get a night? Do you feel behind? I have heard that the natural rhythm of human sleep is at intervals of three hours. We fall into light sleep for forty-five minutes, then into a deep, R.E.M. sleep for another forty-five, and then it is reversed until we reach light sleep again. This can be why adults prefer six hours compared to any more… or less.

In fact, there are alarm clocks that’ll tailor to the natural circadian rhythm that our brains follow. There’s one here, along with a few apps on your local App shop.

And if you’re further interested in the process, go to this fantastic article from Mental Floss. Along with some other interesting alarm clocks also on Mental Floss.

Now, these alarm clocks go by your sleep cycle, so you’re able to wake up more refreshed and alert.

Have you ever woken up a half an hour before your alarm, went to the bathroom, then back to bed to catch that “extra half-hour” of sleep? Well, in that case, you may be hurting yourself rather than helping.

I personally would love to try these sleep-deprivation chambers. I could imagine how quickly I would fall asleep, especially when I already fall asleep so fast (like within 30 seconds). Yeah, you can hate me for that.

However, I too tend to lose an hour here or there, and often times I also take that extra amount of time to catch up.

Wonder how many dozens of hours I’m “behind” in sleep. For example, during my college years, this is a visual interpretation (seen below) of what the lack of adequate sleep can do to your body. I sure had this face then. Hell, even now I probably don’t get enough sleep.

Are you all in the same camp? Let me know below.

-Jamie (@GuyOnAWire)

---

 

Take a nap with Jamie as his length of time between Tweets can be a stretch. And feel free to comment here. You know, type words.

Please?