03
Oct
Self-inflicted sleep deprivation experiment
Written by: pkchukiss (Go to Comments)
3rd October, 2004
I probably am twisted, doing irrepairable damage to my own body.
You see, I had a 12 km route march yesterday, and by some unknown chemical reactions with all the hormones inside my brain, I decided to find out how long I could tax my body physically before it gave out. After the route march, I went out for lunch with my friends, then proceeded onto a protracted 12 hour marathon on my computer - all without any rest.
I had intended to last until 4 am, but I knew I had lost when I raised my head from the keyboard and saw pages and pages of gibberish keystrokes that I nearly posted onto a local forum website.
Somebody recommend a shrink.
on October 3rd, 2004 at 7:20 pm
Sleep deprivation is NOT something to be fooled with. I speak from experience. After an accident in which I got a head injury, about ten years ago, I spent about six months not able to sleep more than 10 minutes at a time. With gradual improvement, after 2 years I could sleep for four hours at a time.
It was hell, I promise you. Don’t do it. After the first week I think I would have killed for one hour of uninterrupted sleep. As it was, the only way I could even get those ten minutes was to take a handful of pills, pile up pillows, kneel in front of them, and sleep on my face. When my head slipped sideways after a few minutes (because I couldn’t breathe properly) I’d wake up from the pain. And I’d still be so BLOODY tired…
It was during that time that I understood why sleep deprivation was so effective as a torture technique. It’s the cruellest thing you can imagine, and I would have done anything to stop it. I thought I would die from lack of sleep.
It’s probably easier when you know that any time you want to give up you can, and just go to sleep, but still, I don’t recommend it.
on October 8th, 2004 at 8:53 pm
i regret to inform you that you are, indeed, twisted, and possibly post a danger to your fellow humans; I advise that you seek professional help at the Singapore General Hospital as soon as possible.
on October 9th, 2004 at 5:21 pm
To Badaunt: I am sorry that my little (probably foolish) experiment was so insensitive…
I don’t understand what I was thinking at that time - probably working on too much an endorphin high.
I don’t think I would do it again - ever: I am going out-field again next week, and I would have my fair share of sleep deprivation out in the jungle.
on October 9th, 2004 at 8:59 pm
No, no! It wasn’t insensitive - I can understand being curious. I just wanted to warn you from experience that it isn’t a nice thing to do to yourself!
Actually I think if you tried it you’d not be able to stop yourself falling asleep at some point. Without pain or something to keep you awake, your body would just take over.