Thread: Sleep Deprivation: The Great American Myth

I just read a few days ago an article in somewhat of a subjective comparison to this:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/03/09/gupta.sleep/

I think that if you have a problem that you can not go to sleep that you have to find the true root of the problem.
You may have sleep apnea or anxiety may play a role. A bad sleep environment. You partner hates you and pokes you periodically and wakes you up. There are a number of possibilities.
But tot mask the problem with a drug would be no different than drinking alcohol to deal with depression. Both with possible addictive traits.

There are many other benzodiazepines that are not listed that are not as addictive as their predecessors in that classification of drugs.

Hearing of people driving or performing conscious tasks while on these new sleep aids scares me.
It tells me that they do not know all of what this drug or type of drug is capable off.
But IMO, most medications for the brain are a risk. We are like guinea pigs.
......

These are interesting articles. What surprised me the most was that Mongrel's said people that sleep little, generally live longer than those that sleep more than 7.5 hours a night.

Although this is explained by stating that people who sleep less make more money and are more succesful, the researcher also says that there is no evidence that sleeping 8 hours a night makes people function better, to the contrary of what's said in Howetzer's CNN article.

Originally posted by Umbrella
These are interesting articles. What surprised me the most was that Mongrel's said people that sleep little, generally live longer than those that sleep more than 7.5 hours a night.

Although this is explained by stating that people who sleep less make more money and are more succesful, the researcher also says that there is no evidence that sleeping 8 hours a night makes people function better, to the contrary of what's said in Howetzer's CNN article.

But at what price for that money and success? The toll on the mind and body may be underestimated.

Reminds me of the really hillarious part in The Simpsons where Homer is driving a truck and takes too much coffee or something. Then he takes sleeping pills, and by far too many. So he takes some wake-up pills aswell.

It ends up a bit like this:

"snore"

"snore"

seeing this article on foxnews.com made me immediately suspicious. at the same time, they claim that it's all a ploy by the pharmaceutical companies--another shady group of individuals i don't trust at all. what's the ulterior motive in this article, is my question.

Originally posted by Howetzer
I just read a few days ago an article in somewhat of a subjective comparison to this:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/03/09/gupta.sleep/

I also watched this piece titled SLEEP on CNN and hosted by Dr. Gupta. I was hoping it would talk more about dreaming, but it basically focused on sleep deprivation and what happens to the body when you're deprived of sleep.

I have the opposite problem - I want to sleep all the time! Which makes WILDing insanely difficult for me because I fall asleep too quickly. I can't imagine not being able to sleep or having to take sleep aids.

The program basically said the more stressed you are, the morely likely you will have trouble sleeping. I think stress is all subjective. I mean, you can lead a stressful life but if you don't let it affect you, then you aren't really stressed. Even when I was going to college full time and working full time (for 2 years straight), I didn't let the stress get to me. Why worry about things you can't control?

[/end philosophical rant]

Anyway, SLEEP was an interesting piece, and I wish they would do more of these kinds of stories.

Originally posted by mongreloctopus
seeing this article on foxnews.com made me immediately suspicious. at the same time, they claim that it's all a ploy by the pharmaceutical companies--another shady group of individuals i don't trust at all. what's the ulterior motive in this article, is my question.

They are fair and unbalanced.
Personally I like Fox. I know what side they are on. But ALL of the media is bias towards one side or the other.
If you go into it looking for suspicious ulterior motives, you will find them up your own shirt sleeve.

Originally posted by Chainsaw Kitten
Reminds me of the really hillarious part in The Simpsons where Homer is driving a truck and takes too much coffee or something. Then he takes sleeping pills, and by far too many. So he takes some wake-up pills aswell.

It ends up a bit like this:

"snore"

"snore"

Yeah, me too.... I loved that one.

Anyway, I have never had to use sleep aids or sleeping pills. As Burns said of herself, I sleep far too much......I always fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow unless I am otherwise inclined. Anyway, it's crazy to have to imagine anyone who isn't in pain to have to take pills to help them sleep. But people are like that, today. They pills to put them to sleep and pills to awaken them....

Yeah technically I'm an imsomniac, but through my development of the HI I've seen and my hypotic techniques, I sleep now.

Not always, but usually. It's common with me, however, to have broken sleep. I wake up in the middle of the night wide awake. So I write down my dreams, and sometimes I have to take a valium or smoke some pot to relax myself.

Originally posted by Gwendolyn
Anyway, I have never had to use sleep aids or sleeping pills. As Burns said of herself, I sleep far too much......I always fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow unless I am otherwise inclined. Anyway, it's crazy to have to imagine anyone who isn't in pain to have to take pills to help them sleep. But people are like that, today. They pills to put them to sleep and pills to awaken them....

I am currently on a benzodiazepine. This was a last resort for me. I hate it actually.
Prior to any medication it would normally take close to an hour many times more to go to sleep. And have it broken sleep like Chainsaw Kitty. But I don't smoke weed and I have in the past used Valium for recreational purposes and over indulged. Which is another story.

But it is like I am hard wired to burn at both ends! I just stay awake....forever

[quote]


I am currently on a benzodiazepine. This was a last resort for me. I hate it actually.
Prior to any medication it would normally take close to an hour many times more to go to sleep. And have it broken sleep like Chainsaw Kitty. But I don't smoke weed and I have in the past used Valium for recreational purposes and over indulged. Which is another story.

But it is like I am hard wired to burn at both ends! I just stay awake....forever

I'm sorry Howie. I hope I didn't insult you. For some, as yourself, I realize that this measure is necessary. For a lot of others though (not all of them), it's just an easy out.

i am somewhat of an imsomniac and i generally take 20-60 minutes to fall asleep after i get into bed. i refuse to use sleeping pills, though, and always have. i have always worried that if i started using sleeping pills, it would just make my insomnia worse to the point that i would not be able to sleep at all without pills. and i don't want that to happen. as for pot, sometimes it helps me go to sleep; other times i lay awake thinking, "woah! i'm so stoned!" so i don't really rely on that to put me to sleep either. same thing with alcohol. sometimes when i get drunk i will fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and other times i will lay there for what seems like forever, tossing and turning, and not even coming close to sleep.

Originally posted by Gwendolyn


I'm sorry Howie. I hope I didn't insult you. For some, as yourself, I realize that this measure is necessary. For a lot of others though (not all of them), it's just an easy out.

None taken Gwen. I agree with you. That is one reason I brought up trying to find an underlying reason, in my first post. Who knows. Maybe I have not exhausted all of my options. I hope, at some point to not have to take them.


kage23.
If the result of a lack of sleep hinders your waking life, then it is something to take into consideration. If insomnia is a true problem then medications can be affective.

For the record, in the Tutorials -->
Insomnia is one thing that prompted me to write this Tutorial.

Originally posted by Howetzer
If the result of a lack of sleep hinders your waking life, then it is something to take into consideration. If insomnia is a true problem then medications can be affective.

yeah, good point. i don't feel that it hinders my waking life all that much, though. usually it's not too bad insomnia; it usually takes me only 20-40 minutes to fall asleep. it's only on rare occasions that it takes >40. and even though i'm generally tired to various degrees throughout the day, i seem to operate pretty well on the 6-7 hours i get each night.

i wish i could go to bed earlier, and i do sometimes, but it's hard. i work until 5pm every day, but my wife usually goes into work some time between 3 and 6pm, and she works until 9. so we rarely get to see each other until she gets home around 9.15 or 9.30, and then we don't want to go straight to bed; we want to hang out and talk or watch a movie or whatever. so we're usually up until some time between 11 and 12. oh well.