SIGforum
If you didn't require sleep, would you still want to sleep?
November 02, 2019, 12:56 PM
InfidelIf you didn't require sleep, would you still want to sleep?
From George Carlin:
quote:
People say, "I'm going to sleep now," as if it were nothing. But it's really a bizarre activity. "For the next several hours, while the sun is gone, I'm going to become unconscious, temporarily losing command over everything I know and understand. When the sun returns, I will resume my life."
If you didn't know what sleep was, and you had only seen it in a science fiction movie, you would think it was weird and tell all your friends about the movie you'd seen.
"They had these people, you know? And they would walk around all day and be OK? And then, once a day, usually after dark, they would lie down on these special platforms and become unconscious. They would stop functioning almost completely, except deep in their minds they would have adventures and experiences that were completely impossible in real life. As they lay there, completely vulnerable to their enemies, their only movements were to occasionally shift from one position to another; or, if one of the 'mind adventures' got too real, they would sit up and scream and be glad they weren't unconscious anymore. Then they would drink a lot of coffee.'
So, next time you see someone sleeping, make believe you're in a science fiction movie. And whisper, "The creature is regenerating itself."
I hate offended people. They come in two flavours - huffy and whiny - and it's hard to know which is worst. The huffy ones are self-important, narcissistic authoritarians in love with the sound of their own booming disapproval, while the whiny, sparrowlike ones are so annoying and sickly and ill-equipped for life on Earth you just want to smack them round the head until they stop crying and grow up.
- Charlie Brooker November 02, 2019, 01:01 PM
DanI have a very active dream life. It's a source of amusement and creativity. I'd miss that.
So yes, I want sleep, but couldn't care less about eating.
November 02, 2019, 01:21 PM
Doc H.Well, it knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care....
"And gentlemen in England now abed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day" November 02, 2019, 01:24 PM
OzarkwoodsNo if I did not require sleep I would be up doing something, however I would use other means of relaxation throughout the 24 h period.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
November 02, 2019, 01:35 PM
Sunset_Vaquote:
Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Yep. Sometimes the dreams are memorable. Sometimes you need that break to put a crap day behind you. Sometimes you need that morning coffee and constitutional to set you right.
Sometimes the dreams are not what you would like to dream about.
Lately I've been dreaming of dead ex co workers.
Do they want me dead too, or is it close to my time to join them ?
美しい犬
November 02, 2019, 01:39 PM
maxdogSometimes I think the sleep itself, with its restorative biological processes is not as important as the the brief escape from reality and all the noise of existance.
November 02, 2019, 02:12 PM
KrazeehorseI would opt for sleep if I were bored and not able to go do something entertaining. Being on a flight and lying in a hospital are two things that come to mind. Sleep is a good thing then to me.
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November 02, 2019, 04:30 PM
sigfreundDuring one extended period in my life I would have been grateful for not needing sleep, and I definitely wouldn’t have been bored. If no one required sleep, though, the demands would no doubt have been based on that fact, and the situation would have been no better.
Now, however, if I truly didn’t need it, that means I wouldn’t be sleeping, and probably would have no idea what it was like. If I suddenly no longer needed sleep, I still probably wouldn’t miss it, and I believe I could still avoid boredom.
► 6.0/94.0
To operate serious weapons in a serious manner. November 02, 2019, 06:03 PM
irreverentOff the top, I’d say absolutely. I love falling in bed and dozing off. Without question, I’ve used sleep to ward off life’s problems, and mull problems I couldn’t work through while awake.
But I guess I’d really have to ponder. If I didn’t need it for restorative functions, maybe meditation would fill the bill. I don’t know.
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"Trust, but verify."
November 02, 2019, 06:11 PM
radiomanquote:
If you didn't require sleep, would you still want to sleep?
Honestly, it depends on who else is in the bed.
.
November 02, 2019, 06:20 PM
bendableI know a half dozen folks that would be up and running around 24 hours a day ,
they would never sit down , always something to do , busy busy busy .
but that ain't me
Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency.
Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first
November 02, 2019, 07:49 PM
SSgt USMC/VetI also love to sleep, I'm good for about seven hours a night and no more for me. Without sleep as stated days would just run together. When I was stationed in Iceland I had trouble going without shut eye.
November 02, 2019, 08:24 PM
BamaJeepsterIt would be nice if you had a switch you could activate so that if you needed to go a few days without sleeping you could, but I do enjoy sleeping and dreaming so I would definitely still want to sleep even if I didn't biologically require it.
Several years ago a couple of us at work were talking about sleep and dreams and a friend of mine, very well educated professional, said that he had never had a dream that he could remember and didn't believe in them. He thought that people just made up stuff when they were still groggy and waking up in the morning. I thought he was joking, but he was dead serious - he didn't believe that people had dreams in their sleep. It was strange (since I have vivid and memorable dreams most nights) and I've never ran across anyone who thinks that since then.
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams November 03, 2019, 12:18 AM
craglawnmanorI'd love the choice of never sleeping.
Sleep gets in the way of so much productivity...
Actually, I'm now a bit irritated that I've realized that it's 12:18 AM here, and I should move along...
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Flammable, Inflammable, or Nonflammable.......
Hell, either it Flams or it doesn't!! (George Carlin)
November 03, 2019, 12:35 AM
flashguyquote:
Originally posted by Woodman:
Meditation and reflection might suffice.
In a few months I hope to meander across county, then drop SE to pick grapefruit in AZ. Miles of two-lane, phone mostly off, bunking in the hatchback rear, that is close to "shutting off the world" for a decent spell of post-midlife reflection.
If my last trip was any indication of what is to come, I'll be lucky to have a single sixty-second "Ah-ha!" moment before slumbering off, staring up through the hatch window into the Milky Way.
Sounds lovely, but I'd think sleeping in the vehicle alongside the road somewhere would be dangerous. And subject to being disturbed by the road patrols.
Regarding the OP, I think I'd still want some sleep. I enjoy the process.
flashguy
Texan by choice, not accident of birth November 03, 2019, 12:40 AM
sigspecopsThis reminds me of a science fiction story that I read years ago. It was about genetic engineering and one of the side effects of being an improved human was no longer needing to sleep. All of the pros and cons were discussed along with how non sleepers would relate to sleepers. I wish that I could remember the title, it was a good read.
No one's life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session.- Mark Twain
November 03, 2019, 04:37 AM
mrmn50For the few hours a day I sleep now, if I could not sleep at all, it would be no bother.
It would mean more reading time.
November 03, 2019, 07:00 AM
gearhoundsQuality sleep is important to me but unless I’m sick, I don’t feel right if I get much more than 6 hours of it. The longer I sleep, the more lethargic I feel.
“Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown November 03, 2019, 11:07 AM
RileySince I get very little sleep and that of low quality, I’d love not to. The only reason I want to sleep is I’m tired. If I didn’t get tired and need sleep, I wouldn’t.
There would be a variety of low energy activities that would allow me to rest from the normal activities. Meditation would be good.
Do not send me to a heaven where there are no dogs.
Step Up or Stand Aside: Support the Troops !
Expectations are premeditated disappointments. November 03, 2019, 11:34 AM
FenderBenderI only sleep for the restorative benefit, if I didn't need to rest then no I'd never bother.