According to a tweet I saw from @NatGeoSociety (National Geographic Society) going without sleep for 24 hours or getting only five hours of sleep a night for a week causes an impairment equal to taking three shots of whiskey in an hour, experts say. I guess this means I should never have driven myself to school in high-school. What is it about being in high-school that makes it some cool game to stay up insanely late talking on the phone/being online/texting/ fill in the blank, wake up, wear pajamas to school, drink a ton of caffeine throughout the day, play sports (or in my case - manage a boys sport), go to work, do your homework, then repeat. It never allows for a normal sleep schedule. No wonder they are so moody. Just had a self realization that I am old because I just had a minor rant about high-schoolers. Uh oh. Quick trip back to the sleeping topic - I also decided to click on the "read more" option on Nat Geo's website and I read their article about sleep which is where I also learned of a disease called Fatal Familial Insomnia. According to them: The main symptom of FFI, as the disease is often called, is the inability to sleep. First the ability to nap disappears, then the ability to get a full night's sleep, until the patient cannot sleep at all. The syndrome usually strikes when the sufferer is in his or her 50s, ordinarily lasts about a year, and, as the name indicates, always ends in death.
That sounds horrible. I need to start appreciating my random naps more. Even the ones at my desk, during lunch of course.
Two new things for the price of one! Click here to read the whole article if you are interested.
- Lizzie