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What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

nymag.com

101–110 of 125 posts

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#101
post #75
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you should try an anxiolytic?

I'd always though of it a strictly a sleep disorder, but maybe treating it as a more general anxiety thing would work. Good idea.

Note that anti-anxiety meds can make you sleepy and have long-term side effects (e.g. increased risk of developing Alzheimer's). That said, they're generally very effective and can probably be taken PRN with less risk.

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#102
post #12

The chemicals modafinil and armodafinil subjectively let me get away with a bit less sleep without the various consequences of caffeine. Used with enough sleep, they enter the realm of transhuman cognitive enhancer.

I've tried modafinil (to counteract lethargy from an antidepressant). It's a strong and long-acting stimulant, but for me there were definitely side effects (and stronger ones than from caffeine wearing off) - bruxism, jaw clenching, headaches, tension. I was only on it for a short period before deciding to get off due to side effects and concern about taking it regularly.

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#103
post #49
post #12

The chemicals modafinil and armodafinil subjectively let me get away with a bit less sleep without the various consequences of caffeine. Used with enough sleep, they enter the realm of transhuman cognitive enhancer.

I've been trying to source modafinil in Canada. I hope to try an experiment once I acquire some.

[deleted]

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#104
post #49
post #12

The chemicals modafinil and armodafinil subjectively let me get away with a bit less sleep without the various consequences of caffeine. Used with enough sleep, they enter the realm of transhuman cognitive enhancer.

I've been trying to source modafinil in Canada. I hope to try an experiment once I acquire some.

I was able to order some from India to Australia with only a credit card, our countries are very similar in terms of customs if you wish to try it I used one of the larger Indian drug sites. Had a friend test it against a local brand and results came back fine.

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#105
post #52

> * “Cells don't sleep,” he said in his most quoted anti-sleep rant. “Fish swim in the water all night. Even a horse doesn't sleep. A man doesn't need any sleep.”* > Yes. Even when my kids sleep crazy amounts of hours I get annoyed. Teenagers can sleep probably for 12 hours straight, and I get so annoyed because I think they are wasting their lives. Why are you wasting your life sleeping? There are so many things tha…

This is the typical great man myth that gets promulgated by their publicists to make them seem more than human. As a rule they are either out right lies or greatly exaggerated, other myths of this type is Kennedy reading 1000 words per minute, Napoleon listening to reports, reading a letter and dictating laws all at the same time, or Stalin single handedly designing the first five year plan.

I've always like Prince Shotoku, able to follow ten conversations at the same time.

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#106
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got married yesterday. If the trend continues tomorrow I will be doubling the number of wives I have every day. I expect to be married to the whole human race by the end of the month. Your childs increase in reading speed by contrast is highly unimpressive.

Not to ruin the analogy, but wouldn't the number of wives you have just increase by one every day? Because 2 * 0 = 0?

We need more than two data points to get the relationship. It may be that monochr will have a fibonacci progression in the daily number of wives...

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#107
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was from Thomas Edison, so from long ago and far from an authority on animal sleeping habits. There are a vast number and variety in species of fish, some appear to do the unisphere thing, some actually go dormant and rest without swimming like zebra danios, while some don't show any signs of resting like mackerel. You can't really generalize too much about the whole lot of them. Also, horses sleep.

Also, wasn't Edison a huge proponent of cocaine use?

Somehow that seems fitting.

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#108

I really wish I had that trait, but instead I have the exact opposite. I often need about twelve hours to feel fully rested, and even then usually require a coffee or two to feel productive. Some people suggested recently that maybe I have sleep apnea, so I'm planning to try a sleep study sometime soon.

I have moderate-to-severe apnea, but nothing that might have caused it (not overweight, don't smoke, etc.) and didn't find out until I was 21. Using a CPAP is a night and day difference--whereas I used to require 10-12 hours to function without randomly falling asleep if I sat still for too long, and now I can get 6-8 without any issues and I'm more alert, have a better mood, etc. I wouldn't have known except that my…

What's a CRAP?

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#109
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard of both of these theories (cleanse and consolidation) but it's kind of strange how the first sentence of the abstract is "The purpose of sleep remains mysterious." If the researchers have any confidence in their work, why are they using this language? Why not "sleep is not as mysterious" or "sleep is no longer mysterious"?

My point was more that somebody very likely knows the truth (and believes it to be the truth,) even if we don't know who that person is.

Don't miss the comment:

http://xkcd.com/1345/

Re: What It’s Like to Need Hardly Any Sleep

#110
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stalin designing the first 5 year plan doesnt sound impressive. It sounds like an idiotic idea resulting from an idiot, with predictably idiotic centrally planned results.

The first 5 year plan was the most successful piece of industrial policy by any country in the world until the Chinese opening of their market. What's even more impressive is that it happened in the middle of the great depression without outside help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_five-year_plan_%28Soviet...

It also created the conditions for the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor in which millions of people starved to death :-( .
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