Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 63 posts

Re: Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

#4

Post by decentrality »

The argument is made that evolution is based on a light-dark cycle, but is also based on predators who prefer to catch prey asleep. Survival favored those who could awaken and stay awake until a threat has passed or until sustenance was secure. Sleep is often a luxury, and not due to unhealthy life always. And often we are entranced by what we are doing, living our dreams. Sleep is personal and largely subjective, there is no universal truth on it as long as we all have different lives.

Re: Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

#5

Post by hrjet »

> Over time, children’s books and magazines began to promote this type of Edisonian asceticism.

I remember reading a children's book on goblins. The theme was that these goblins worked late nights and helped humans with their chores while the humans snored and slept.

The book was actually a prize given to me in grade one for something that I did well in pre-school. Since it was a prize, the book was especially dear to me and I would read it over and over.

Now that I think about it, I have always been a "sleep deprived" person since childhood. I wonder how much of my life was shaped by that single book!

Re: Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

#6

Post by hrjet »

decentrality wrote: post #4

The argument is made that evolution is based on a light-dark cycle, but is also based on predators who prefer to catch prey asleep. Survival favored those who could awaken and stay awake until a threat has passed or until sustenance was secure. Sleep is often a luxury, and not due to unhealthy life always. And often we are entranced by what we are doing, living our dreams. Sleep is personal and largely subjective, th…

But then human ancestors probably didn't have to worry about predators at night so much, cause they could protect themselves and their dwellings with weapons, or live in trees, or co-operate to watch by turns.

Re: Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

#8

Post by Ygg2 »

decentrality wrote: post #4

The argument is made that evolution is based on a light-dark cycle, but is also based on predators who prefer to catch prey asleep. Survival favored those who could awaken and stay awake until a threat has passed or until sustenance was secure. Sleep is often a luxury, and not due to unhealthy life always. And often we are entranced by what we are doing, living our dreams. Sleep is personal and largely subjective, th…

> but is also based on predators who prefer to catch prey asleep

While it's true, that's why most people in ye olde times would awake about 1 am (gone to bed at 8 pm) have a snack and go back to bed.

Additionally there was also after snack siesta (we had those on Sunday afternoon).

In primeval times, having a brief pause relaxing in the tree after lunch seems like good way to prime you for sleep later in the evenings.

Sleep isn't a luxury, it's a necessity, necessary for our brains to defrag. Saying sleep is luxury is like saying eating isn't a necessity for survival.

As someone that at one point did trade day and night, I can tell you I was plagued by heart palpatations and general feeling of unease even after switching to 8hrs of sleep during day.

Re: Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

#9

Post by laichzeit0 »

There's an easy counter example: weightlifting. By taking Edison's example as a maxim he'd have all people interested in weightlifting spend day and night at the gym and hardly resting. I suppose he'd recommend you take 2-3 minute catnaps between sets to recover.
Post reply on HN