Human sleep and recovery

[Boerseun]

Interestingly, it has been seen that rats that were forced to be awake 24/7, died after about 20-25 days of this treatment, regardless of the rats' age at the beginning of the experiment.

 

The body does indeed give off a chemical to make the muscles inactive (well, mostly inactive) during sleep, in order to protect the body from harm during dream sequences. This is why a common feature of dreams is that you feel as if you can't run away from whatever scary thing chasing you.

 

This might also be a reason why the 'flying' theme is so common in dreams. It doesn't require any bodily movement, and would therefore be a good way of getting around in the 'scenery', whilst suffering from non-responsive muscles.

 

Myself, I find that I'm much more alert and can remember much better when I don't sleep 'enough'. If I go to bed at say 2:00 in the morning, and I'm up at 5:00-5:30, I'll have a fantastically mentally alert day. If I go to bed at 9:00PM and only get up at 8:00-9:00am, I'm stuffed for the whole day. I can't rememeber things, I can't talk clearly, and I don't seem to be able to actually 'wake up' for most of the day. It feels as if somebody stuffed wool in my head.

 

There's another disputed angle on this, that we humans (and probably other animals as well) can incur a 'sleep debt'. This 'debt' can build up to 60-70 hours of lost sleep, and will have an adverse effect on your mental and physical performance. Dunno if this is true, though.

 

Yawn.

[ughaibu]

As I recall it, talking in one's sleep occurs during orthodox sleep, I dont see why there need be a distinction for use of muscles associated with actions other than speech requiring them specifically to be inactivated during paradoxical sleep(?)

[Boerseun]

As I recall it, talking in one's sleep occurs during orthodox sleep, I dont see why there need be a distinction for use of muscles associated with actions other than speech requiring them specifically to be inactivated during paradoxical sleep(?)

I've heard a couple people talking in their sleep, and it always sounds mumbled. Either its the same story with the muscles being intentionally lamed, or I haven't been sleeping around enough, and my sample size is too small!

[ughaibu]

I've had several episodes of somnambulism, most were trivial, some were funny but one involved me being knocked over by a car, it would've been useful had my walking muscles been disabled at the time. Somnambulism, I think, is also associated with orthodox sleep.