Sleep deprivation study

[oldbilbo]

Much written anecdotally. Here's a link to a recent article and study....

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/if-you-didnt-sleep-well-last-night-this-might-help--eywwoNMU3l

 

[Gargleblaster]

One of the fascinating things I find about sleep deprivation is that after about 30 hours you start having vivid visual hallucinations. I have been giving a few talks lately and everyone seems fascinated by my U-boot Captain who stayed with me for about 7 months off and on.
I also believe that some of the auditory ghostly manifestations reported by single handed ocean sailors also relate to sleep deprivation. Most of them seem to occur at the start or the end of the voyage which ties in very much with sleep deprivation.

 

[Pye_End]

One of the fascinating things I find about sleep deprivation is that after about 30 hours you start having vivid visual hallucinations.

Agreed, but I don't think that it is restricted to visual - I listened to a non-existent radio for a couple of days last JAC.

There was an interesting program on R4 a few weeks ago about dreams. One of the theories was that we dream 24 hours a day - its just the external stimuli that dominate our conscious thoughts during the day (for most anyway). Perhaps our brains, when tired, are a bit like laptops in energy saving mode, and process stimuli less, and so allow dreams to mix in with consciousness. Or it may well be that we are trying to make sense of patterns according to our memories - I can remember a couple of days where cloud patterns became very strong - ie one cloud looked exactly like a duck, the next a dragon etc.

You mention the 30 hour mark - the second 'sunrise' the conditions were quite murky, and my brain was convinced that a ship was heading towards me, and not far to go. After changing heading in a panic there was then the growing realisation that it was an hallucination. All quite scary at the time, but at least after it happens to you once (now that was another story!), you are more prepared for it next time. This all happened with short sleeps, so where this article says that naps to make up sleep are sufficient perhaps also require ay least some quality sleep at night?

 

[sarabande]

didn't Day Mellon write extensively about the problem and how her team 'trained' her to combat it ?


Should be part of the Ocean Yachtmaster course.

 

[billybiltong]

Might be worth a read - some interesting points - "Psychology of Sailing" The sea's effects on mind and body by Michael Stadler - ISBN 0-87742-963-4