Home | Search | FAQ
Displaying 1-9 of 9 messages in this thread. |
| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Fuck sleep | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sleeper Being a Minor is a Threat to my Social Life PoseUr i ahve 2 threads at teh top, i feel like maynard | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 1:19 AM |    | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00  | I should try this sometime SLEEP? NO! NEVER!\par by Jon Resh Some of the best times of my life occurred when I really should have been asleep. Staying up 72 waking hours during a "sleep deprivacation" provided moments so twisted, funny, scary and vivid, it now seems as if I lived them through someone else's life. My only regret is I can't do it anymore; willfully self-inflicted sleep deprivation, without the use of any stimulant save one's own willpower, is strictly the playground of the young. In my opinion, only those individuals between the ages of 15 and 23 should attempt to try it (they're the only ones who can do it anyway). Those of us who've aged beyond those good years just don't have the constitution it requires; now, at 28, if I stay awake for more than 18 hours, I'm halfway to checking myself into a hospital. For you lucky squirts whose bodies have yet to spoil and rot and disappoint you, in the throes of the Grand Sleepless Stupor you will--at the very least--see spots, get lost, walk into trouble at every turn, and, potentially, regret the whole experience. So let's begin. I spent my time in college shunning the pot, pills, alcohol, acid, and other conventional mind-altering bullshit my friends were ingesting. I didn't like the idea of mingling my already precariously mixed physiological contents with a bunch of questionable chemicals to make me any more dumb or edgy than I already am. I was, however, attracted to the notion of going completely against natural bodily forces to induce a little honest-to-God adventure, and depriving myself of sleep seemed like a great way to get buzzed. It required a hardened discipline in only the most futile endeavors, a neurotic flare for the quasi-self-destructive, a penchant for nocturnal living and a strong dose of old-fashioned stupidity--all of which I have in spades. I guess this is a good time to mention that sleep deprivation is totally unhealthy, equivalent to abstaining from any other essential metabolic functions--eating, drinking, breathing, excreting--and will, in all likelihood, lead to some illness, and, if not undertaken sensibly, can lead to serious consequences, death included. This is my disclaimer; if your sorry ass can't hack staying awake a day or two, don't have your parents come suing me. I should also state that this brand of sleep deprivation is purely for fun and has nothing to do with such disorders as insomnia, apnea, etc. My heart goes out to anyone desperate to fall asleep; I've seen friends' livers wrecked, and have suffered a few nights myself, from prolonged, torturous lack of sleep. Americans, being the most hyper-stressed people in the world, suffer from sleeping problems in epidemic proportions, the issue of which is rarely addressed. I've sometimes wondered if my delight in recreationally depriving myself of sleep is perhaps rooted in the overbearing American work ethic that a moment relaxed is a moment wasted, that in order to lead fulfilling lives, we must keep ourselves industrious and/or entertained at all times. I hope not. For your "deprivacation," a few important recommendations: 1. Choose a good time to do it. The best bet is an extended period--a long weekend, maybe--when you have few responsibilities and engagements, you don't have to work or go to school, and you can wander around aimlessly in a familiar area for days. 2. Stay away from cars, weapons, power tools and swimming pools. Especially cars. Seriously. 3. Eat and drink a lot. Since you're depriving your body of one function, it's a sound idea to fuel up on others, eating especially. Above all I prefer pasta and salads during sleepless durations, but bagel, rice, breads and similarly hearty grains that are easy on the stomach work too (though they might produce drowsiness for some), as well as fiber sources (like beans) and the ever-important fruits and vegetables. As taste seems to intensify with each "overwoken" hour (at least for me), you won't believe how delicious an apple can be after a few days awake. Straight-up water is the best liquid, and guzzle plenty of it. 4. Showers and teeth-brushing re-invigorate your drained, worn carcass, as does deep breathing. Do them often. 5. No extreme physical exertion. As if. 6. Be careful who you phone. After a while, you'll have about as much control over what you say as you do over a nightmare, so maybe you should save that call to your parents or best friend or worst enemy for another time. 7. Don't read too much. Books work better than a shot of sodium pentothal. Avoid. 8. No coffee, tea, Coke/Pepsi, etc. Stimulants are for pussies. 9. When you feel something inside about to snap--mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually--don't push it. Because you will regret it. Just go to sleep. As mentioned, when you forcefully deprive your body of sleep--that is, when you abstain from the abrupt shut-down of neural processes that allow you to perceive the outlying physical world--a lot of weird things seem to happen metabolically, none of which can reasonably be called beneficial. Neurotransmitters fray, body temperature deregulates, digestion is irritated, hormones go off-balance, muscle tissue remains unhealed and unfortified, the circulatory system is overworked, and your nervous system goes a little haywire, all of which have produced the following sensory and physiological effects in me during various deprivactions, which may (or may not) happen to you. Euphoria. Could the fabled endorphin rush claimed by long-distance runners, heroin addicts and chocolate-bringing multi-orgasmic women also stake a claim among the sleep-depraved? I can't say for sure, but I've found myself stuck with a perpetual smile for hours, glossing in a seemingly superhuman bliss when I should have been cranky as hell. This is what initially got me hooked to my marathons of wakefulness. Paranoia. Don't watch "X-Files," "Twilight Zone" or "The Shining". Don't listen to Bauhaus, Scratch Acid or Minimal Man. Hallucinations. Usually your hearing tweaks first: strange, pleasant hums come from nowhere, and you listen to them passively until you realize they're coming from inside your head. Olfactory distortions come next; smelling pizza, ammonia, Chanel No. 5 or whatever your chewed-up brain chooses to manufacture should be expected if you can manage staying up more than three days. Visual hallucinations are the finale--the walls-are-breathing-and-floor-is-crawling kind, not the holy-creeping-Jesus-my-mother's-face-is-turning-into-the-underside-of-an-Alaskan-king-crab kind. During my record deprivacation--four-and-a-half-days--I swore ants were crawling all over the black, textured exterior of my guitar amp. (When the bug spray didn't kill them, I realized I was hallucinating.) Mild headache/nausea/muscle cramps. Though nothing in the league of a hangover. Laughing fits. You've been punch-drunk from lack of sleep before. Multiply that times 50. Sudden (though temporary) loss of balance. You'd never guess how rough negotiating a flight of stairs or riding a bike would be until you've tried it after 60 hours without sleep. Catharsis. You may come out changed. Hot/cold spells. Deal with it. Craving of food/drink. Unless it's something that will potentially miss with your stomach--i.e., Tabasco soup--I'd say go with it. Temporary loss of memory. This is pretty much limited to people's names. I once forgot my roommate's name whom I lived with for two years. When you start forgetting your own name, it's time to take a nap. Uncharacteristic behavior. Get to know the real you.\par Slurred speech. Thanks to dwindling motor skills, you'll create a new language, "Bleysghefthmoktinhurxjtedws." That means "hello". Strange itches. Scratch 'em. Space/time disorientation. This happened all the time: I'd be walking on the sidewalk, happy in my sleepless haze, when I'd blink my eyes and boom--I'm suddenly 50 feet further down the street than I was a second before. This either means I blacked out for 50 feet or I found the secret to teleportation. Impressionablity. There's a reason political torturers, extremist cults and mind controllers of all stripes use sleep deprivation as a key tool in brainwashing. Stay away from questionable religious sects, any TV playing "The 700 Club" and Armed Forces recruitment centers (unless you wanted to enlist anyway). A relaxed state altogether unknown to normal consciousness. Indescribable. Almost Zen. Truly sublime. The most important thing to keep in mind is to have a great time while using reasonable caution--a credo as applicable to a sleep-rich consciousness as to a sleep-deprived one. So good luck, pilgrim; it's you're trip from here. Me, I gotta doze...  | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 1:29 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Poser.
| ||||
This status is sponsored by: P®oJë©T M@¥hέm I Mod VG's ass! | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 2:10 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | quote:LMAO.... it's funny cuz it's true...  Professional Slacker I should get paid for this crap... | ||||
| The Sleeper Being a Minor is a Threat to my Social Life PoseUr i ahve 2 threads at teh top, i feel like maynard | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 2:12 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Ha, I'll take you guys on any da..zzzzzzzz | ||||
Pompous, Arrogant, Enigmatic, Bitter, Quirky, Misanthrope with a Weird Sense of Humor and an Iron Clad Memory while flooding the board with my Stream of Consciousness UFC STRIKE 3 (I'm a dick and I like to ruin people's plans) | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 2:14 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Aug. 00 | Seph, ya beat me to it. Moron, you beat me to the reply to Seph. Sleeper, I will see you tomorrow night ;)  Funny how ev'rything was roses When we held on to the guns Write To Me Here AIM: SmarterChild Your words once heard they can place you in a faction My words may disturb but at least there's a reaction
| ||||
This status is sponsored by: P®oJë©T M@¥hέm I Mod VG's ass! | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 2:22 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | quote:So... where were you... sleeping? Professional Slacker I should get paid for this crap... | ||||
| crx girl Newbie! vg Y's me ugo girl Limey Mothercocker | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 2:38 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | awwwww, evwybody's picking on poor wittle sweeper, poser ;) An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come. --Victor Hugo regardless of my status, i am a nice person. no really, i am, i swear;) crack hitler belongs to me :) need me? try: crxgirl@opieanthony.com red rocket is under my supervision until 8/27 | ||||
Pompous, Arrogant, Enigmatic, Bitter, Quirky, Misanthrope with a Weird Sense of Humor and an Iron Clad Memory while flooding the board with my Stream of Consciousness UFC STRIKE 3 (I'm a dick and I like to ruin people's plans) | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 3:52 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Aug. 00 | quote: Well technically it is not sleeping unless you are talking about what your partners do when you inflict them with your Puddin Pop. Funny how ev'rything was roses When we held on to the guns Write To Me Here AIM: SmarterChild Your words once heard they can place you in a faction My words may disturb but at least there's a reaction
| ||||
| MaynardGKrebs | posted on 09-11-2001 @ 8:53 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Jan. 01 | I'm confused, is this an FU to yourself? i'm on the outside, i'm looking in i can see through you, see your true colors | ||||
Displaying 1-9 of 9 messages in this thread. |