Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Who Needs Sleep?

I don't like sleep.

It's a surprising statement to hear, I know, considering how often I'm found with my eyes close. I've even had a fair share of enjoyable dreams, even dreams that I don't regret waking up from. That doesn't mean I appreciate the way drowsiness seems to sneak up on me at the most inopportune times.

I can't remember the last time I've meant to go to sleep. It's always a class-time nap or a doze in front of the TV. Quite frankly, I've just stopped planning for sleep. I have so much that I want done that, if I could help it, I would put off the whole sleep thing for a few years, you know, until I can devote the proper time to it.

Ah, how I long for insomnia.

1 comment:

  1. I had a similar feeling regarding sleep. The crux is the realization that being well rested allows you to get much more done than you can ever get done impaired by lack of sleep.

    While I used to drag on long into the night, working on whatever I was working on, or playing whatever game I was playing, I started to provide a litmus test to my actions: "Am I working/playing at full capacity?"

    It quickly became apparent that I was wasting tons of time on "inefficiency", more than I would be "wasting" asleep.

    Most notably, sleep as a process hones motor skills and solidifies memories. You're going to find that after you leave college, your "I don't plan for sleep" time period is a blur without particular note. (I have a large--a few months, completely sober(!)--section of my college experience that is the exact same way. If I didn't have pictures from that time period, I would think that "nothing happened.")

    I recommend this superb Radio Lab on the subject:

    http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2007/05/25

    Embrace sleep. It's a critical part of life. Without it, you won't remember what you lived.

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