One man's struggle with sleep deprivation
Day1
The first day of our experiment is a typical Friday for Ben. He wakes up at 9 a.m., goes to work and plans to hang out with his friends tonight. Because he is fresh off nine hours of sleep, he isn't showing or feeling any signs of sleep deprivation just a bit of apprehension about not being able to go to bed for two more days.
Day2
I am talking with Ben during his 28th hour of consciousness. He sounds alert and pretty relaxed about the task at hand, but I can sense his irritation about having to stay up another full day.
On this Saturday afternoon, he's feeling a bit sleepy. "Zombiness" in his words. But he is trying to stay alert with lots of visuals and sound such as movies, television, books, music and people. He's also using nature's favorite cure for fatigue: caffeine. Three or four pots of coffee should do the trick, he says.
Although he wishes he could have had a project to keep him stimulated like he did in college, his current wooziness seems to be no cause for concern. "I'm a bit of an insomniac anyway," he says. "I have trouble getting to sleep and it's just as easy to stay awake."
That's what I thought when I chose to drive back from Wichita at 5 a.m. I don't believe that he's OK with this lack sleep. Let's see how you feel tomorrow, Ben.
Day3
It's 2 p.m. on Sunday and Ben sounds trashed.I knew that after 40 hours on no sleep I would get some kind of reaction from him, but nothing like this. He sounds extremely groggy and is slurring his words.I ask him how he feels.
There is silence on the phone as if he has to think about it. After a pause, and with a much lower tone, Ben answers with an abrupt, "Very tired."
Perhaps sleep deprivation also causes one's inner monologue to become verbal. While taking a brisk walk on this frigid January day, Ben stops in the middle of the Cork and Barrel parking lot, 901 Mississippi St., looks off into the horizon and says, "Everything would be better if it were all on fire."
His current physical and mental states prove the scientifically proven correlation between the effect of alcohol and the effect of sleep deprivation. You could check off each of Ben's reactions on the back of an anti-alcohol brochure: difficulty thinking straight, delayed reaction time, slurred speech and feeling numb or woozy.
Clinical symptoms and references to Armageddon aside, he says he just doesn't feel right. He hasn't been able to do anything productive for the past 12 hours—not even watching TV. "Consciousness becomes an active thing by itself," he says.
Day 4
Experiment complete. Our subject falls asleep after 54 hours of consciousness, not long after I had talked to him yesterday. On this Monday evening, he says he feels much better, or as he put it, "Much, much, much better." Not surprising because he says he slept for 19 hours last night.
Wow. Although he still feels a bit fatigued, he was able to wake up for work which he seems pretty happy to be back doing now. "I had forgotten what being productive felt like," he says.
During our experiment, Ben was never under the influence of alcohol or operating a motor vehicle. Ben's episode with sleep deprivation was a controlled experiment used to illustrate its physical and mental effects. Although none of the information is scientifically, biologically or psychologically proven, simply seeing sleep deprivation affect our trooper Ben shows how important it is to get adequate sleep. So tonight, instead of deciding to drive from Wichita at 5 a.m., do what I should have done - go to bed.
TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP by Kim Elsham
by Kim Elsham
The longest I have ever stayed up is for 35 hours.I was visiting my friend in Wichita and had to drive back early one morning to work at 8 a.m. in Lawrence. My friend and I had gone out in Wichita until 2 a.m.and I had to start driving at 5 a.m.I saw no point in a three-hour nap so I hit the road on no sleep — something I will never do again. With my frequent, gaping yawns and quick snaps back to consciousness, I found out firsthand how important adequate sleep can be.
Jayplay found a willing participant for our first-ever Jayplay sleeping experiment. Ben Burgen, who graduated in December with degrees in anthropology and international studies, gave his body to our version of medicine and agreed to stay up as long as he could.
Ben has had his share of sleepless nights because of college. Right before he graduated, he says he was staying up for a couple days at a time. Because Ben seemed like a seasoned participant in pulling all-nighters, we had him stay awake for 54 hours more than his
— Kim Elsham can be reached at keisham@kansan.com
— Edited by Henry C. Jackson
12 January 2004