Every animal sleeps, but why? We have been asking this question for thousands of years. Most people love the time they spend in bed, but many great people have advocated against it. For instance, the General of Electricity, Thomas Edison, thought that it was a waste of time. No one has yet figured out how to avoid it though.
I became interested in this from an article my RSS reader picked up from Wired. They are hosting a Wiki style article (here) where people can give their opinions on the the subject. I didn’t spend much time on this site, because I would prefer to hear from experts. Following that, here are a couple of articles:
BBC: The Science of Sleep
New York Times article about why we sleep
I have tried following the General’s ideas before, but I have never been very successful. I have managed to pull a few all-nighters, probably 4 or 5. In general, though, I have not found them terribly efficient. They are good for meeting morning deadlines, but if you need to function after that deadline, you are pretty hosed. I invariably miss an important event later in the day because I couldn’t wake up. The most unsettling part of the all-nighter is the hallucinations that begin after about 30 hours awake. I don’t know if hallucinations is quite the right word. They are more like waking dreams. Regardless, they are freaky.
My paltry attempts are nothing compared to the current world record. Randy Gardner (Wikipedia Article) stayed awake for 11 days without stimulants in 1964. Randy was functioning so well that he beat his companions in pinball after 10 days awake. Many people believe the anecdotes that you quickly go crazy from lack of sleep. That is not really true, as Randy proved. You do become grumpy and forgetful, much like if you drank too much.
How much sleep do you get? I’d love to hear in the comments.