Wanna shmup better? Get your Z's.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 9:31 am

Hey, sorry to keep on posting topic after topic, but this one is just too good to pass up.

http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100098772?GT1=7508

Bottom line: A better rested brain will handle reflexes and memorization better than one that barely had any rest.

Now if you excuse me, I'm off to get my 8 hours of sleep.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 9:43 am

As someone who undergoes constant sleep deprivation, I can assure you that everything on the article is true. Your memory drops, your immune system falters, and you feel really confused. Obviously, you're not going to be playing shooters (or anything else for that matter) at your best at all.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:44 pm

Ganelon wrote:As someone who undergoes constant sleep deprivation, I can assure you that everything on the article is true. Your memory drops, your immune system falters, and you feel really confused. Obviously, you're not going to be playing shooters (or anything else for that matter) at your best at all.

Couldn't have put it better. Missing out on sleep has real costs. Ever since my first daughter was born I've been paying in full. My memory is crap, I get sick a lot, and my gaming suffers. Such is life.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:43 pm

Thats pretty much common sense for your own well being...but sometimes sleep deprivation can help in your creativity.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:59 pm

Yeah, that may be because you often get hallucinatory dreams if you doze off while sleep derived.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 6:28 pm

Not necessarily...
sometimes its just the "altered state" of consciousnes that can bring upon different ways of thinking/problem solving. (similar to drug usage)
Of course, I not talkning about "dead tired" here, just deprived somewhat.

I'm actually on a sleep dep right now...also, I'm trying to turn my hours around, as I may be looking into getting a day job soon.

I wouldn't reccomend anything more than 24 to 27 hours awake though...
I've done that shit wilst drinking beer a few times, I don't know how the hell I did, but I did. I'm sure it can't be good for you though!!!

PS: I no longer "binge drink" like that.

Post by **Ghegs** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:24 pm

TWITCHDOCTOR wrote:I wouldn't reccomend anything more than 24 to 27 hours awake though...

Heh, my record is 36 hours straight. It was mostly thanks to timezones, though. I was returning home from a trip to Canada and wanted to get rid of jet lag right away, so I forced myself to hang on until 9 PM or so before going to sleep. I was a wreck at that point.

Oh, and few nights ago I slept for 2,5 hours and broke my Homura high-score soon after waking up.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:27 pm

god if only i could sleep. over the past couple weeks i have gotten a total of around 50 hours of sleep. i am dead sirs.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:34 pm

I've never had less than 5-4 hours of sleep in my life. I normally have between 7 1/2-8hrs sleep nothing less.

The lowest amount of sleep I've had Is about 5-6 hours.

Sleep deprivation will never get me. Never I Tell You!

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:36 pm

I normally get about 5 hours of sleep these days. I have no ideas on how to get back to a normal state.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 8:33 pm

zinger wrote:I normally get about 5 hours of sleep these days. I have no ideas on how to get back to a normal state.

Make sure you're dead tired. I usually get between 6 and 7 hours, and when it's time for bed I'm beat up. Get your body and your mind tired: regular exercise and reading are helpful. And then there's the obvious stuff: don't drink caffeine too late in the day and avoid shmups late in the evening. Melatonin (available over the counter) is the only sleep aid I use, but the long-term effects of use are, I believe, unknown, so I try to avoid using it very often.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:06 pm

TWITCHDOCTOR wrote:Not necessarily...
sometimes its just the "altered state" of consciousnes that can bring upon different ways of thinking/problem solving.

That's what hallucinatory dreams are, aren't they? Shit, I would just take some hallucinogens to achieve such a goal, but I don't get paid to be creative, so don't.

gs68 · Post by **gs68** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:53 pm

Psh, I get 5-6 hours of sleep on school nights, and 8-10 on non-school nights, and I'm still able to graze bullets.

I used to get around 9 hours of sleep in my elementary school days, then I started getting about 7-8 hours. I'm degrading, apparently.

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:37 am

TWITCHDOCTOR wrote:Not necessarily...
sometimes its just the "altered state" of consciousnes that can bring upon different ways of thinking/problem solving. (similar to drug usage)
Of course, I not talkning about "dead tired" here, just deprived somewhat.

I'm actually on a sleep dep right now...also, I'm trying to turn my hours around, as I may be looking into getting a day job soon.

I wouldn't reccomend anything more than 24 to 27 hours awake though...
I've done that shit wilst drinking beer a few times, I don't know how the hell I did, but I did. I'm sure it can't be good for you though!!!

PS: I no longer "binge drink" like that.

When I used to have procrastinate like a fiend (not that I don't anymore), I'd be awake for a few days straight writing papers. In high school a friend of mine and I started an unofficial school organization dedicated to not sleeping. The rule was you couldn't sleep more than 10 hours a week. Needless to say, we were pretty haggard back then...

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 2:35 am

Gee, yeah, I was talking about staying up for 72 hours straight, not getting 6 hours of sleep a night. You definitely won't get any hallucinations missing only 2-3 hours from the suggested amount of sleep.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 3:01 am

Just another few days before this semester's over, and I'll be able to reintroduce myself to my pillow...arrgh...

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:37 am

Longest I ever went was just under 48 hours. While on acid. The oddest experience I ever had, and while not something I'd ever repeat (was almost ten years ago), it was fun of a sort. Really does fuck you up though.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 9:03 am

I rarely get the full recommended eight hours of sleep a night (I probably manage 7 most nights, give or take a half hour) partially because I'm somewhat of an insomniac (although this is becoming less of a problem as time goes on) and partly because my biological clock is a little off compared to most people, which has me going to bed at 2AM most nights and waking up at 9:30 or so. The weekend does provide some opportunity to catch up (I'll often sleep until 11 or noon on Saturdays and Sundays, but may also be up later on Friday nights.) I also tend not to be able to sleep anywhere besides a bed (which is one of the reasons I generally don't handle travel all that well.)

I tend to avoid staying awake for long periods if possible, although the past year has resulted in a couple of 36-hour sleepless periods, one resulting from cross-country travel, and the other from pulling an all-nighter in line for my Xbox360. I had to go straight to work after that one, and it's a good thing the boss wasn't in that day because I got pretty much nothing accmplished.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 12:38 pm

Longest I ever went was just under 48 hours. While on acid.

Anytime I've been up more than 24 hours it's been for reasons I shouldn't have been. Except maybe once when my boss fucked up a server and I had to stay w/ him all night to fix it.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 5:55 pm

For those of you who have been depriving yourselves of sleep for years. Try getting more. Sure, you have less time in the day, but that time is more productive and you'll feel so much better too. You'll be much more agreeable and your friends will like you more.

Just try it for a week. It's worth it.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:48 am

Andi wrote:For those of you who have been depriving yourselves of sleep for years. Try getting more. Sure, you have less time in the day, but that time is more productive and you'll feel so much better too. You'll be much more agreeable and your friends will like you more.

Just try it for a week. It's worth it.

Oh come on...everyone loves me!
Seriously though, even when dead tired, I can only sleep for about 6 to 7 hours anyway.

I'll be ok...I think.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:49 am

Andi wrote:For those of you who have been depriving yourselves of sleep for years. Try getting more. Sure, you have less time in the day, but that time is more productive and you'll feel so much better too. You'll be much more agreeable and your friends will like you more.

Just try it for a week. It's worth it.

Oh come on...everyone loves me!
Seriously though, even when dead tired, I can only sleep for about 6 to 7 hours anyway.

I'll be ok...I think.

dai jou bu · Post by **dai jou bu** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:27 pm

If I know I have to stay awake for 24+hours, I surprisingly take it well as long as I'm focusing on something that keeps me awake (like cramming for a test or going through a bunch of quests on WoW in a group).

Too bad I unconsciously make little mistakes in whatever I'm doing once I reach this stage of consciousness.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:36 pm

Ganelon wrote:Your memory drops, your immune system falters, and you feel really confused.

Well!

That explains a lot for me. This past year I've needed to sleep more than 8 hours; I remember a long while back I could go to bed at 10 and wake up at 5 the next morning and feel fine. Nowadays I go to bed around 11:30, wake up at 7 and feel like shit for a good part of the day.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:03 am

GaijinPunch wrote:
Longest I ever went was just under 48 hours. While on acid.
Anytime I've been up more than 24 hours it's been for reasons I shouldn't have been. Except maybe once when my boss fucked up a server and I had to stay w/ him all night to fix it.

Which still wasn't a reason for you to be awake for so long.