Here's A Horrifying Picture Of What Sleep Loss Will Do To You

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/sleep-deprivation_n_4557142.html

[Egnever]

1. Great I am fucked

Been sleeping less than six hours a day for 8 years now. Ever since my kid got type 1 diabetes. Guess i am screwed.

[SomethingFishy]

7. Not necessarily... Everyones metabolism is different...

I can get by on 6 hours a night no problem and so far I am pretty healthy for a 50 year old..

That being said, in my younger days I once stayed up for 5 days straight. On day five I was walking home from a friends house when a little Leprechaun jumped out of a tree, looked at me and said "Man, you need to get some fucking sleep", so I went home and went to bed. True story, although I'm pretty sure the Leprechaun was a hallucination

[CTyankee]

8. I hallucinated in ICU after having my 3rd surgery in 2 weeks time...

I remember them, too. I was told by a anesthesiologist that it was caused by sleep deprivation. They weren't bad, I didn't see snakes. In one I thought I was on a train and my brain was actually telling me to feel the vibration of the train, which was weird. In another I thought I was being trained as a cashier at my local supermarket...

[SomethingFishy]

10. Wow at least I got a Leprechaun!

Cashier at the local grocer doesn't sound like much fun

When I told my doctor the story years later he said the same thing your anesthesiologist did. Sleep depravation causes hallucinations..

[CTyankee]

13. The train one was kinda nice. I asked the nurse if I was on the train to

New Haven and she said "you are in Yale New Haven Hospital." Well, okay, then, if you say so...

[LisaLynne]

12. See, that would be just my luck.

I'd hallucinate something like that, while others are getting advice from mythical creatures.

[CTyankee]

15. I think hallucinations are frightening anyway. The thought that the brain can

alter reality in such a way creeps me out...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

39. You mean a grocery store manager that cares?

[CTyankee]

43. Yeah, I thought those nurses uniforms were the uniforms worn in the supermarket!

Crazy, huh?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

46. Now you know why a bunch of nuns walking around causes religious visions.

[CTyankee]

50. OMG...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

85. Imagine the visions during the Black Death....

Doctors thought sickness was caused by bad odors so they wore masks stuffed with flowers. These masks were fashioned to look like birds.

[Rozlee]

24. I was an RN and worked for a while at Brooke Army Medical Center.

I was in post-op recovery once and this one patient was cracking us up yelling about a rooster riding around his bed on a bicycle. One of the techs asked him if it was a Buckeye or a Rhode Island Red. I kept having a mental image of Foghorn Leghorn zooming around on a bike saying, "Hey, son, stop that, ah say, stop that hollerin'."

[CTyankee]

45. Love it! I believe it, too!

[Thav]

78. My wife was a nurses' assistant and had one story

She went into a room answering a call light. The guy said, "There... there isn't really a tiger in the corner is there?" "No, there's not." "Ok, I see one but I know i'm in the hospital and why would the hospital have a tiger?"

[Rozlee]

83. LOL. The San Antonio Spurs Coyote mascot once was visiting the injured troops at BAMC and

I remember how this one frantic patient rang us up to tell us that we needed to check the dosage on his Morphine pump because he had just seen a seven foot tall "freaky thing" dancing in his doorway.

[philly_bob]

41. I hallucinated after major surgery but I figured it was the drugs.

Curious how anesthesiologists deny that their drugs had anything to do with it. I didn't sleep well after the operation, but I did sleep and dream.

I had open heart surgery, and they use POWERFUL drugs to knock you out for that.

Actually, those hallucinations changed the way I do art: see artist's statement and work at http://www.philly-bob.net

[TlalocW]

2. Hmmmm...

I've been thinking of going to a polyphasic sleep schedule, where you don't sleep more than 2 hours at a time. I've often heard it's not just sleep that you need but REM-cycle (dreaming) sleep, and I fall into that very quickly.

TlalocW

[progressoid]

16. I’m mossy, Jerry. My brain is mossy

[alfredo]

26. My bladder already has me on that schedule.

[valerief]

47. Bwahahahaha!

[dickthegrouch]

60. My dog gets me up every two hours

Little beast isn't tall enough to get back on the bed after he jumps off. So he paws and whines until he's lifted back up.

I've had trouble sleeping most of my adult life, but since the dog started doing this, it's 5x worse.

I used ambien for a long time, but decided I should taper it off when I couldn't afford it any longer. Coming off it was the worst. I had terrible nightmares every night for months.

[alfredo]

66. I stopped the pills and now I seem ok. Honey and milk,

or chamomile tea and honey seem to work now.

[tridim]

3. Quality sleep is a prime reason I use woo-minerals and woo-herbs.

They don't knock me out like Rx sleep aids, they just make it easy to sleep.

[hibbing]

25. What do you use?

Hey,
I have been having a hell of a time even getting to sleep, let alone staying asleep. I flip and flop and just cannot get comfortable. I have thought about trying melanonin.

Peace

[alfredo]

27. Take a tablespoon of honey before turning in. It gets the Serotonin pumping.

[Qutzupalotl]

33. I find Valerian root works well.

It literally smells like manure, but other than that it's fine and just the thing for my problem, which is calming a restless mind. As it kicks in, I am more able to put off worrying until tomorrow. Not much of a "hangover" either; a little coffee and I'm back in business.

Melatonin also works but causes vivid, long and perplexing dreams. Also, I'm usually tired the next morning for a while.

[reflection]

36. I second this, re: melatonin vs valerian root

Valerian Root is so much more pleasant than melatonin. Melatonin will kick my ass to sleep quickly (onset 15 minutes or so), give me some real vivid dreams, and then I'm tired the next day.

Valerian root takes longer (about an hour) and slides me in more gently, no unusual dreams, but I feel a shit-ton better the next day.

Tried Rozerem once. Never again. Nasty. Like melatonin on steroids, even though I assume the receptors being manipulated are different.

[arely staircase]

61. yeah same with me on the melatonin.

Great sleep awesome dreams but dragging ass the next day. Recently discovered L tryptophan. So far so good. Valerian has a nice pleasant sedative effect for me but won't put me to sleep. It is like a extremly tiny dose of xanax. Good for mild anxiety but not sleep. The best anti anxiety thing I have found is L theanine. Relaxing and seems to improves my concentration.

[reflection]

65. interesting.

Never heard of it. Going to research it now. Thanks!

[Owl]

55. Valerian root smells like fresh cat droppings.

It is helpful though (if you can get past the gag reflex).

[curlyred]

68. I used to air the capsules out a bit

But it absolutely drove the cats crazy.

[Heywood J]

77. Very bright light usually works to counter that with melatonin. (NT)

[laundry_queen]

37. melatonin doesn't work for everyone

my brother insists it does nothing for him.

I'm totally opposite. I once bought a bottle of extra strength melatonin capsules and followed the directions - I took one before bed. I couldn't stay awake for the entire weekend. Seriously.

I did a little reading and found some people are sensitive so I found some low dose chewables and I break them in half (The dosage is 2 chewables before bed, I take half of 1 chewable so 1/4 the dosage). It's more than enough to help me get restful sleep. My biggest issue was staying asleep...now I have no problems, even if I have caffeine late at night. I don't take it every night though, just nights that I feel like there may be a problem.

[valerief]

49. All melatonin did for me (years ago) was give me my period. Needless to say,

I stopped taking it.

[laundry_queen]

52. LOL! I'd stop taking it too! nt

[Populist_Prole]

56. Melatonin worked but I couldn't handle the dreams

It took a while for me to put 2 and 2 together but I found it gave me sleep, but not very restful sleep. Oh I wouldn't have frightening nightmares or anything, but the dreams were indeed vivid versions of daily life. Nothing spectacular happens in them, but when I get up I felt like I've really been through a lot.

[tridim]

42. Magnesium citrate/chloride and mega-dose vitamin C.

They calmed my bedtime anxiety down to zero in less than a week.

Search for "Vitamin C cortisol" if you're having racing, anxious thoughts that keep you awake.

[El_Johns]

71. I use one of those heating pads you put in the microwave & herb tea -- sleepytime with valerian.

or tension tamer.

it usually works. the heating pad i put on anything that feels achy, but i think the warmth helps you sleep too.

[grahamhgreen]

84. I use:

Melatonin 9+mg
Holy basil extract (lowers cortisol)
5-htp (increases seratonin)
Dash of powdered glutamine

[RebelOne]

28. I take over-the-counter sleep aids and they work great for me.

I have an awful time trying to get to sleep. So with a glass of wine and a couple of sleep pills, I am completely knocked out. I usually awake around 4:30 to 7:00 a.m. and feel totally refreshed.

[Lochloosa]

4. I had Sleep Apnea for 9 years before being diagnosed

It was hell during those years. Being told everything from depression (which was ludicrous if you knew me) to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which I did take seriously.

I had no idea what was causing my symptoms till I got married and my wife casually mentioned that I stopped breathing in my sleep. I made a doctors appointment the next day and he immediately sent me for a sleep study. I was an 8 on a scale of 10. The second night of the study, after waking from 6 hours with a CPAP mask on, I was really groggy. The sleep tech said that was from
"REM Overload". He said I just had 6 hours straight of REM sleep, something I had not had for 9 years. It was the first day in a long time that I did not need a 2-4 hour nap in the afternoon.


Never underestimated the value of a good night sleep.

[freshwest]

5. +1

[Larkspur]

6. I have severe sleep apnea too

I woke one night a couple years ago because I felt like an invisible hand was choking me when I was sleeping prone on my bed. It took a couple months before I had enough and went to my doctor who sent me to a sleep doctor, who tested me and got me on a CPAP machine. I can no longer sleep prone in bed without a CPAP machine.

[zeemike]

17. I have a similar story.

Only it was not discovered until I was hospitalized for congestive heart failure.
And in the sleep study they did on me the nurse told me I had stooped breathing 26 times in one hour.
Once I started using the CPAP mask everything changed...it is hard to explain how much better I felt...and many of my physical problems went away.
So this OP is no surprise to me.

[Lochloosa]

21. 32 Times an hour for me. I still don't know why I only got an 8 out of 10.

[zeemike]

23. I can't imagine what a 10 would be.

But I think we are both examples of how fucked up it is when you don't get that REM sleep time.

[Lochloosa]

74. Yeah, it's nice to dream again.

[W_HAMILTON]

58. Are those your AHI numbers?

My AHI was 115 when I was first diagnosed. I went in for a sleep study because my brain had become mush: I couldn't focus, I couldn't remember things like I used to, etc. I slept all the time and still felt tired.

Did you have any of the memory / focus / concentration problems? Did they get cured once you started CPAP?

I've been using my CPAP machine regularly since around 2012, and, sadly, a lot of the initial symptoms I went in for have not gotten better. I still can't focus very well, I still can't remember things like I used to, etc., even though my AHI number now is usually 1 - 3. I'm still pretty much tired all the time as well. I wonder if I seriously damaged some portions of the brain while I went untreated I hope that someday I will regain the brain I once had, but it doesn't seem like it......

I haven't had a sleep study in a couple of years now; maybe I should have one done again to see if my machine needs to be recalibrated or something.

[Lochloosa]

73. I'm not sure what my AHI number was.

And, yes it took a while for my memory problems to recover. I don't think/know if it will ever be the same but that could be due to aging.

If you feel the CPAP is not working right by all means get it checked. I think you can get a new one every three years, but I'm sure it's different with every insurance company. Imagine that.

Be persistent with them. It's important.

[rppper]

82. I'm a PSG/EEG tech....

I've seen people stop breathing for nearly 3 minutes....seen people sleep for hours with their O2 levels dropping into the 60% range....scarey stuff....you put the same patients on cpap or bipap and they sleep in a fetal position for 6 hours when you figure out their numbers....what we shoot for with cpap is no apneas in supine position and REM sleep in supine at the end of the test. A normal rem patern is three distinct periods, an hour into sleep, midway through and at the end. Many times people have been having apneas unbeknownst to them for 20+ years. If you're heavy, diabetic, Over 30, have had heart problems or just have a big neck you probably have some degree of apnea. There are different types of apneas too, the most common being obstructive apneas and hypopneas. You also have central apneas, which tend to run in brain damaged patients, patients with Parkinson's, strokes, TIAs or dementia

[Lochloosa]

88. rppper I must have been atypical. Mine started, at least as close as I can narrow it down, at 29.

I was not overweight, no family history of heart problems, diabetic or had a big neck.

Apnea sapped the life out of me for a long time. I do have obstructive apnea and the CPAP has saved my life.

Everyone needs to be aware of the dangers of Apnea and if there is a hint of a problem GET A SLEEP STUDY.

[rppper]

89. Yes and no....

I've seen people of all shapes and sizes with moderate to severe apnea, but if you're reasonably healthy you're probably ok. Besides being rough on your body and brain, apnea prevents you from getting the amount of deep N3 sleep and REM your body needs....think of it as diving into a pool, staying under for 30-45 seconds...when you hit the surface, you gasp for air. In sleep medicine this gasp is called an arousal...you wake up for a split second, fall back asleep and the cycle starts again, all night. It also causes leg kicks....plms or restless leg syndrome...jimmy legs on Seinfeld lol...these wake you up as well. In the short term your tired and easily winded, long term apnea can add stress to your heart, lungs and brain....seizures in your sleep....hypoxia....very nasty...

I tell everyone I know to get tested if you're in one of the risk groups, or even if you start feeling tired constantly....I see a lot of AFIB on older patients that cpap helps...get tested...it's worth it to find out if nothing else.

[Lochloosa]

90. I keep answering post hoping anyone gets the message. Get TESTED! It will save you life.

[REP]

18. Same here - was told young women don't have apnea

Actually, that I was "too young, too thin and too female" and that I had fibromyalgia, even though none of my symptoms matched what was being called fibro back then. It got to the point where I was having hypnopompic hallucinations (onset of REM while awake) because I never got past Stage 2 sleep. Ever. I also blacked out randomly. Living like that was indescribably terrible.

When I finally saw a doctor who took me seriously, my O2 sat was 60% while sleeping; dangerously low. My AHI was 61 and I was congratulated on having the most severe apnea they'd seen. It was determined I have mixed apnea: obstructive from small airways and a concha bullosa and central, where my brain "forgets" to breathe at times. So even with xPAP, I'll never feel completely well-rested, but I'll never feel like walking death again, either.

[MrScorpio]

9. If anything will kill me, this will nt

[Blue_Tires]

22. +1000

[redqueen]

11. K&R

I really need to prioritize sleep.

[LisaLynne]

14. My biggest problem with sleep right now ...

is my orange cat who thinks that he will starve to death precisely at 4:01 AM. Therefore, he has to get me up at 4. :/

[El_Johns]

72. I have a dog like that. You made me laugh. And as soon as he's eaten he goes right back to sleep.

But I can't.

[LisaLynne]

76. Yeah, they can sleep all day, so it's nothing to them!

[hunter]

19. My OCD fucks up my sleep bad.

Next stop is nightmares, major depression, paranoia, and if I wait too long, psychosis.

But sleep drugs don't help me much, they just shift the crazy into my waking hours.

Anti-OCD, anti-depressant, and slightly off-label anti-psychotics work for me.

There are good mental health therapists and physicians out there. My advice to anyone suffering: keep trying until you find what works.

My own dark place is hell. Not a suicidal hell because my OCD takes over and it knows I couldn't do anything I *NEED* to do if I was dead, but it's still Hell. So I take my meds, yucky side effects and all, and then I am somewhat functional in "normal" society.

Nothing wrong with that, and much better than the alternatives.

[Helen Borg]

20. The truth is...

That there are large individual differences in sleep patterns. There are people who function well on just 4 hours of sleep. I know two of them. They are highly successful, very approachable and they look just fine. Good for them.

[mainer]

29. Linked theory to why estrogen replacement therapy prevents alzheimer's

if given close to menopausal onset. Some researchers think it has to do with better sleep quality on ERT in menopausal women.

[Demo_Chris]

30. I am so screwed :(

[Populist_Prole]

31. You know what gets me? How society glamorizes being a sleep-deprived go-getter

As if being a late riser is tantamount to laziness and sloth.

Me? I'm toast if I get less than 8 hours. Oh I can occasionally get only 6 hours and be alright if it's because I'm traveling or getting up early for an event I'm excited about, but not an average workday. When I worked midnight shift ( 11PM - 7AM ) I made it a point to set aside 8 - 8.5 hours for undisturbed rest. I was often chided by my friends for not being around for this or that despite being home for the day, and it did negatively affect my social life; but at work I was sharp as a tack and on top of my game while so many others were like whiny cranky kids in need of a nap; making them difficult to work with.

[laundry_queen]

51. I agree, that's a pet peeve of mine as well

I've always needed tons of sleep. My mom said I slept 12 hours through the night from the time I was 3 months old until I was a preteen. Even then I still needed 10 hours a night until my late teens. I remember being called lazy often by my dad, who thought everyone should be up by 5 am. As a teen, if I was still sleeping at 9 or 10 am on the weekends, he would wake me up, or be deliberately loud so I couldn't sleep. My parents still call me lazy because I catch up on sleep on the weekends. (during the week I'm lucky to get 6 hours, due to getting up early with my kids, being a single parent and in school etc). However, when my mom falls asleep in front of the tv at 7pm on Friday, that's not lazy, that's "I've worked hard all week".

My ex-h is one who doesn't need much sleep. And that's something he passed down to 3 of our 4 kids. My oldest was the worst. I remember, as a newborn, she would only sleep in 30-45 minute increments. I thought I was going to go insane from lack of sleep. Everyone lectured me about how newborns always sleep 12-14 hours, even if it's just in small bits. So I added it all up. 8 hours, and just barely. My newborn needed less sleep than I did And even today she only sleeps about 5-6 hours a night, at 16 years old. She says if she gets more than that, she feels crabby and has a headache. My other kids are better, and one of them is just like I am. When she started school, she would come home and CRASH if she went to bed past 8 the night before. She often napped on the weekends too, in addition to sleeping 12 hours. She's now almost 11 and on the weekends - I let her sleep. She often sleeps till noon. She's just like how I was. And I don't call her lazy, because she's not. She just needs more sleep.

I remember a study that showed a huge difference between high schools that started at 8 am vs 9 am. The schools that started at 9am always had less absenteeism and higher grades on average. I believe it...I've only had one 8 am class since I've started university and it was one of my lowest marks. I had to get up before 5 to get all my kids ready and off to their different caregivers and by the time I made it to school - a long commute - I was already exhausted. ugh. Thankfully our final was in the afternoon, and I aced it to pull my mark up. I avoid 8 am classes at all costs.

[Populist_Prole]

57. Interesting post. Wow.

The double standard of early risers annoy me too. I'm lazy for sleeping from 1AM to 10AM, but my parents ( when they visit or I visit them ) aren't lazy when they crash in front of the TV from 6PM to 6AM.

[OnyxCollie]

32. Sleep deprivation is an enhanced interrogation technique.

But it's not like a week without sleep is gonna hurt you, right?

[NealK]

35. It's really sadistic, like all forms of torture.

[Agony]

63. no major organ damage... no problem!

since the brain is not a major organ :sarc:

[Nye Bevan]

34. Yawn.

[Plucketeer]

38. I should be dead already....

I'll be 69 next month. I was diagnosed with apnea 18 years ago. I'm envious of those who crow about how a CPAP unit helps them. How the HELL do you keep one on your face??? Even the few nights I managed to nod off with one on, I'd wake up later with the mask tossed to the floor beside my bed! I now sleep on my belly at night. It's not great, but it's better'n it was.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

40. You know you are overworked when going to sleep is passing out and waking up is coming to.

[demigoddess]

44. over Forty years of not sleeping

due to handicapped child who could not sleep for various reasons. God, I should be dead by now!!

[Matariki]

48. The real problem is that morning people are righteous tyrants

who are fucking up everything for the rest of us.

Studies show that night people tend to be more intelligent and creative - and morning people are better organizers and planners. Hence the morning people tend to end up in management and run the rest of us ragged with their stupid early start times.

I can't wait until the science of healthy sleep cycles becomes common knowledge and schools and businesses adjust to something more flexible or at least more balanced between morning and night people.

[Populist_Prole]

54. +1 Million

The smug among the early risers may get the worm, but they do crash earlier, just as I begin to hit my stride. Yet they make snide overtones that suggest us night people are lazy for getting up later than them....despite the fact we wen't to bed much later and got no more actual sack time than they did.

[Matariki]

59. Yeah, there's definitely a bias that's difficult not to resent

I can't tell you how many late nights I'd pull at my jobs - where my coworkers were no where to be seen.

I'm actually kind of terrified. I'm starting a job that has supposed flex time but the latest start time is 9am. I haven't had to be at a job before 10 in my entire adult life. It was too good a job to pass on but I'm not sure if I'm going to handle that schedule well

[laundry_queen]

64. I can relate

I was a stay at home mom for 15 years before my ex left. So, my sleep cycles weren't an issue for many years. But, then I went to school full time. I've been lucky, with the exception of 1 semester, that I've been able to get classes almost always later than 9:30 am, and usually my school day started at 12:30 pm. Currently, I'm doing a mix of evening and online courses. It's worked very well for me, I'm doing better than ever in school. I only have, after this term, 2 classes left to graduate and then I have to look for a job. I'm worried because not only do I have to make sure I get a job that starts late enough that I can get my kids to school, but now I won't be able to take a short nap after dropping them off (most school days I have to be up at 6am to get the kids to their bus stops). I'm not sure I'm going to be able to deal with a regular work day at all. And in my field, there's no shift work or evening work. It's 8-5. No choices. I could always work out of my home...but I'm not good at drumming up business. ugh. Not looking forward to it, at all.

[blkmusclmachine]

53. ,

,

[arely staircase]

62. Tryptophan works for me. nt

[PasadenaTrudy]

67. Trazodone works for me....n/t

[MisterP]

69. there's also an economic factor: no job = stress

2 jobs, 30somethings are still stuck at home for nigh on a decade with their old parents--hardly conducive

[El_Johns]

70. but having a job is also stressful.

[LiberalElite]

75. and here I thought -

all it did was make me cranky.

[Fix The Stupid]

79. Anyone have 'restless legs"?

Let me tell you...I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Trying to sleep, dead tired, but your ^&$*@^ legs are twitching, moving, feel like a compressed spring ready to pop...

It's an awful feeling.

I cut out caffeinated coffee - helped a bit, but there are times when I wish I would just die, get it over with.

I seem to be restless until 5:00am - then I could sleep forever, but this work thingy gets me up at 6:30am every day...

Sucks.

[Dash87]

87. Yup. I also have hypnagogic jerks.

(Begins to sleep) Ahhhhh... AHHH I'M FALLING!

I also get weird hypnagogia.

[Harmony Blue]

80. Sleep is often overlooked

when it comes to students in college. The think that studying late a night helps but a good night's sleep is always going to provide you with one better letter grade then the "extra" study time.

[Vattel]

81. This thread is making me sleepy.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Dash87]

86. When I was young, I used to experiment with not sleeping.

For some reason, I'm not able to stay up like most people - I can barely make 24 hrs. I just pass out at around 22 hrs and become unresponsive for a short amount of time.

At around 16 hrs awake, I begin to feel slightly paranoid, but not too bad.

18-22 hrs - paranoia, especially in low light levels. Definite change in thinking. It becomes progressively worse with time.

22 hrs - 23 hrs - Unresponsive but not totally out of it. I would have 'waking nightmares' where I wouldn't notice falling asleep and began to dream as if I was still in my room trying to stay up.

23 hrs+ - Either forced microsleeps or forced sleeping

Staying awake seemed to encourage nightmares. It was weird.