My experiments with life: Sleep Deprivation

I have lately been in an unusually experimental mood. One of the main reasons for this is my renewed fascination with research which has encouraged a resurgence of the 'curious character' in me - which, by the way, is also behind the continuing lull in updates on this blog.

Anyway, it has always seemed fascinating to me as to how much we take the brain for granted. From its myriad neurological firings spring our love songs and our cold revenges, in its labyrinthine corridors lurk fascinating undiscovered potentials, and it holds our personalities with the death grip of a few electric signals. With a few fires here and there, it has the potential of changing the perception of reality and how we see ourselves with respect to the reality. It truly is a worthy subject to be curious about. I have always wondered how interesting it would be if I could simulate a condition where the brain is forced to perform in a way in which it is not used to performing. One way to achieve something similar is by tiring it so that it has to make some prioritizing decisions. I figured it would be interesting to see what happens when I tire it, for example, by sleep deprivation. My goal was to go at least 48 hours without sleep and I began by waking from Friday through to Saturday. I noticed that the most difficult hours in my effort to keep awake were between 5 and 7 but there was no major lack of coordination. I did notice that in my effort to play the Moonlight sonata's 1st movement, I felt much less inclined to complete the more complex parts on Saturday morning than I was on Friday night. I went with Khatri bhai to have an early breakfast on the beach but I noticed that even after just 24 hours it was taking me significantly more effort to engage in rational arguments. I was more inclined to agree with Khatri bhai's contentions although I did not have much trouble understanding him. It wasn't until 4 in the evening on Saturday that I could start feeling noticeable signs of mental tiredness. It was a nightmare (!) trying to keep awake through the afternoon and I had started having a slight burning sensation in my eyes. I called Nikhil and asked him if he would come with me to watch a movie in the theater so that I could keep awake and we decided to watch 'Get Low.' I rode my motorcycle to his place at 8:30 and we proceeded to the theater. It was then, after 36 hours, that I started feeling a definite incoherence in thought. It was taking me significantly more time to understand what he was saying and to respond to him. My voice was trailing off and I felt like I had to consciously spend effort in order to formulate basic ideas and sentences. My chain of thought would break down and it became an effort even to maintain balance while walking. While in the theater I could not understand the slight accent of the actors when Nikhil could do it easily. I felt definite irritation from the constantly changing lights on the screen. Most importantly, though, I felt the onset of serious palpitations. Even the slightest movement while sitting on the chair would send my heart racing and I had the constant urge to stretch my legs and hands. The movie finished at about 11:30 and I asked Nikhil to drop me home because I did not think motorcycle was an entirely safe idea then. I came back home at about 12:00, having done 40 hours now. By this time I had started feeling serious dizziness and a significant lack or coordination. I tried playing the Moonlight sonata but I kept making the simplest of mistakes. I would forget how to go from one bar to another and the notes on the sheet music just did not make sense. There was barely any coordination between the left and the right hands and my eyes had turned red from the effort. A few more hours (3:45 in the night - ~44 hours) and I felt the kind of anxiety I have never felt before. I had started blinking much more than normal, my fingers were shaking, and there was a constant urge to stretch. I had started breathing through my mouth because I felt that I could not get all the air I needed with each breath. My heart was pounding at a worrisome rate and I could just not fix my thoughts on any one subject. It was then that I decided that there is no way I could make it to 8 in the morning without taking rest. Through the last 44 hours I had not even laid down for the fear of going to sleep and ruining the experiment so I thought I would lay down for a bit. The next thing I remember- it's 12:00 on Sunday morning. I have very little recollection of yesterday's movie - I am certainly not sure how it ended, although I was awake through it all and I have no idea when exactly I slept.

I think it was a very interesting weekend. If nothing then it at least convinced me that I never want to do it again!