Why Should I Sleep?

[Dopamine]

When I get tired during the day... I drink some coffee, eat a meal... basically I raise metabolism and the fatigue goes away and I get on with my day.

When I get tired during the night... I call it bedtime.

Why don't we fight this? Rather than going to bed I can consume caffeine, raise metabolism, eat lots of food, expose myself to light... basically all the things that keep me going during the day could keep me going during the night...
Theoretically why can't I keep the party going 24/7?
Am I missing something?

 

[Makrosky]

I can't believe you're seriously asking this.

 

[Parsifal]

Well, I don't like to sleep, for me it's a chore, if I sleep to much I am always tired and if I sleep less I have more energy...

But it seems necessary at least for memory (and regeneration I guess): Memory: REM Sleep Needed For Long Term Memory Formation

Children sleep a lot more...

 

[YuraCZ]

Well, I don't like to sleep, for me it's a chore, if I sleep to much I am always tired and if I sleep less I have more energy...

But it seems necessary at least for memory (and regeneration I guess): Memory: REM Sleep Needed For Long Term Memory Formation

Children sleep a lot more...

Sleep is the most important thing for all animals. When you think your body is regenerating and repairs. Is this discussion for real? LOL..

 

[Kasper]

There was a study showing that sleep is necesary to detoxify the brain.

 

[Makrosky]

Well, I don't like to sleep, for me it's a chore, if I sleep to much I am always tired and if I sleep less I have more energy...

Altering sleep patterns or sleepless nights change the neurotransmitter ratios, some papers claim in favoour of dopamine. And stress hormones. But it's gonna have a heavy toll on your health. Not to mention that if you don't sleep in 3 days you're gonna probably have a psychotic break.

 

[Makrosky]

There was a study showing that sleep is necesary to detoxify the brain.

LOL! Kasper... Like if we needed a study to realize all animals sleep. And human beings have been sleeping since the beginning.

 

[Such_Saturation]

You kind of die if you don't sleep

 

[Parsifal]

Sleep is the most important thing for all animals. When you think your body is regenerating and repairs. Is this discussion for real? LOL..

I've never said that it is not important, read again. I also think that Dopamine's post was more about discussing our limits and understanding more things about sleep (an invitation for people to share informations) and that there was a bit of humor in is message.
But it seems that you can't read between the lines and only come with your little condescencion...

People in the Buteyko think that we need only 4 hours of sleep/night if we have a lot of carbion dioxyde in our body (high CP). I've also read things about sleeping too much being bad for health.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Peat has stated that he believes sleep is a defense mechanism against darkness, which is stressful -- as evidenced by the rise in stress hormones during the night. This seems like a plausible theory.

So, theoretically, if stress is low enough, sleep requirements would be lowered.

I have found this to be true in my life. If I meditate before bed and upon waking, I can sleep significantly less and function fine.

 

[Peatish Ninja]

Writhing in the old bliss
Never forget this
Reeling in the sweet grip
Never let this slip
Your eyes are yours to close
Never let go Sleep is wrong
"Do not go gently
Into that good night
Rage against the Dying of the light"
Your eyes are yours to close
Never let go Sleep is wrong
When I grow up I'm never gonna sleep
When I grow up I'm never gonna cry
When I go out I'm never coming home
When I grow up I'm never gonna die

 

[Dopamine]

I can't believe you're seriously asking this.

I can't believe you won't question this. No I wasn't seriously considering doing this... more just generating discussion. Science doesn't really have a thorough understanding of what sleep does and whether it's necessary for all animal life. There are believed to be animals that don't sleep at all or that sleep very little... so what generates the need for sleep?

I do believe that metabolism lowers during sleep... Also all stress hormones and serotonin are raised. Cortisol raises... FFA will likely be raised causing temporary insulin resistance... Melatonin and other pituitary hormones are raised. Many of the physiological changes seen gradually occurring in aging seem to take place during sleep in a temporary albeit dramatic way... so I am questioning the essential role of sleep and I don't think that's unreasonable.

Is Sleep Essential?

 

[Dopamine]

Peat has stated that he believes sleep is a defense mechanism against darkness, which is stressful -- as evidenced by the rise in stress hormones during the night. This seems like a plausible theory.

So, theoretically, if stress is low enough, sleep requirements would be lowered.

I have found this to be true in my life. If I meditate before bed and upon waking, I can sleep significantly less and function fine.

I agree with this but if we eliminate the darkness shouldn't that eliminate then the need for sleep (assuming sleep exists to protect against it)? I think there has to be more to it.

 

[Makrosky]

I can't believe you won't question this. No I wasn't seriously considering doing this... more just generating discussion. Science doesn't really have a thorough understanding of what sleep does and whether it's necessary for all animal life. There are believed to be animals that don't sleep at all or that sleep very little... so what generates the need for sleep?

I do believe that metabolism lowers during sleep... Also all stress hormones and serotonin are raised. Cortisol raises... FFA will likely be raised causing temporary insulin resistance... Melatonin and other pituitary hormones are raised. Many of the physiological changes seen gradually occurring in aging seem to take place during sleep in a temporary albeit dramatic way... so I am questioning the essential role of sleep and I don't think that's unreasonable.

Is Sleep Essential?

Ok man. One thing is discussing why do we need to sleep the recommended 8 hours. That I can understand. I can understand you want to know the physiological reason why we have to sleep. Ok. But we still have to sleep this should be obvious because there's no single case in human history of someone who survided sleep deprivation.

Randy Gardner (record holder) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, Lt. Cmdr. John J. Ross, who monitored his health, reported serious cognitive and behavioral changes. These included moodiness, problems with concentration and short term memory, paranoia, and hallucinations. On the eleventh day, when he was asked to subtract seven repeatedly, starting with 100, he stopped at 65. When asked why he had stopped, he replied that he had forgotten what he was doing.[1]

 

[lindsay]

No amount of coffee and food will stop my body from deciding it needs good sleep. And, in fact, when I am really busy/fatigued, and when I come home from work and have the opportunity, I always take a nap and usually feel rejuvenated afterwards - usually much more so than just choosing to eat food. So I would wager that at least napping is necessary. And if anything, I would opt to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier (easier said than done). But there is a good amount of evidence that the hours earlier in the day around sunrise are more beneficial for the body (and lowering serotonin) than staying awake later.

 

[Peatish Ninja]

I can't believe you won't question this. No I wasn't seriously considering doing this... more just generating discussion. Science doesn't really have a thorough understanding of what sleep does and whether it's necessary for all animal life. There are believed to be animals that don't sleep at all or that sleep very little... so what generates the need for sleep?

I do believe that metabolism lowers during sleep... Also all stress hormones and serotonin are raised. Cortisol raises... FFA will likely be raised causing temporary insulin resistance... Melatonin and other pituitary hormones are raised. Many of the physiological changes seen gradually occurring in aging seem to take place during sleep in a temporary albeit dramatic way... so I am questioning the essential role of sleep and I don't think that's unreasonable.

Is Sleep Essential?

It's a great question. When I sleep for 2 hours I am more grounded than when I sleep for the "recommended" hours at the "recommended" time bracket.

 

[Drareg]

I seen somewhere on pubmed that sleep deprivation down regulates adrenergic activity.
This may explain why some people speak of sleep deprivation being slightly like a trip/lsd.

 

[keith]

I've always found my metabolism improves with extra sleep. When I sleep more, I actually lose weight, regardless of what I eat during the waking hours. If I didn't have so many other obligations, I would sleep 12 hours a night and be thin. I do very poorly on low amounts of sleep, though; always have, even when I was a kid, and as an adult at a healthy weight about 90 lbs ago. And when I was thin, I did get a lot more sleep (pre-kids, "real"job, etc, when I actually could sleep), which, in hindsight, was probably a significant factor for me.

I know Matt Stone recommends a lot of sleep in his diet recovery books for restoring metabolism, for whatever that is worth. I think there are some definite health benefits to the right amount, which apparently varies substantially, since there are lots of people who feel better on less sleep.

 

[InChristAlone]

Just have kids You will figure out why we need sleep! I had a child who was breastfeeding at night for 2 years, he would wake me up every couple hrs to nurse. No amount of coffee would have saved me from crashing after that. Although I was more resilient the first time around with the first kid who nursed at night, but I wasnt even drinking coffee back then!

 

[Dopamine]

I think respiration should slow during sleep which could increase CO2.

Also sleeping is fasting so it gives your digestive system a break which could lower endotoxin and raise the immune system.

Perhaps only REM sleep is necessary... and maybe you could reach REM through meditation.

Also I wonder if high morning libido is from nitric oxide or increased testosterone.

Anyways there is lots to think about and much is unknown. I feel best when I get around 8 hours sleep. I think quality of sleep is mostly correlated to liver function and your ability to store liver glycogen.