If sleep were not required, but just optional, would you ever sleep?

[Richard87]

If sleep were not required, but just optional (you didn't get tired), would you ever sleep? I can say that I'd sleep much less often, if ever.

 

[Pythagorean]

If it weren't required, it probably wouldn't feel so good, so probably not, no.

 

[Evo]

I'd sleep just for the dreams.

 

[Pinu7]

No, I would be partying or doing something more productive. Also, good riddance to my weird dreams(dancing naked with Kim Jong Il was my dream last night).

 

[turbo]

Probably not. There's too much to do. Interpersonal stuff, etc - not so much, but research would benefit from less sleep-time.

 

[rootX]

Nopes. I would be able to enjoy my life more while being able to do more work.

 

[Phyisab****]

What would sleep be like if it weren't required? If you didn't need to sleep would you ever want to sleep? I don't think so. Sounds like about as much fun as getting anesthetized.

 

[Dembadon]

Absolutely not.

 

[Pyrrhus]

So what will substitute sleep?. You know there are reasons why animals sleep.

 

[zoobyshoe]

What would sleep be like if it weren't required?

What would being awake be like if sleep weren't required? Would everyone feel in perfect, tip top shape all the time, never fatigued?

 

[Lisa!]

Of course I would!

 

[myma76]

I think I would also sleep less often but sometimes it's really cool - you can go to bed and leave the world behind. You can get a rest and some new energy for the upcoming tasks in your life.

 

[hemeliscus]

no i won't... hehehe..

there are many things that I have to do that needs to be done ASAP... ^_^

 

[micromass]

Of course I would sleep! Sleeping is cool :tongue2:

The real hard question is: "if being awake were not required, would you ever not-sleep?"

 

[hemeliscus]

Of course I would sleep! Sleeping is cool :tongue2:

The real hard question is: "if being awake were not required, would you ever not-sleep?"

hahaha.. nice one..!

 

[Ryan_m_b]

It would be pretty nice to increase my waking hours by 50%! However I have a suspicion that if we didn't need to sleep we never would because the working day would go from 9-5 to 9-9 or more and who wants to sleep their personal time away?

 

[hemeliscus]

right, right... it will be more productive for us if we can be awake all the time..

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Of course I would sleep! Sleeping is cool :tongue2:

The real hard question is: "if being awake were not required, would you ever not-sleep?"

That was the premise of The Matrix. I expect that if sleep were not required then it would be illegal.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

right, right... it will be more productive for us if we can be awake all the time..

Well I don't know about you but I tend to be more productive when awake

 

[aruna]

I love sleeping, the sleepy-awake feeling, the dreams.
But I also get irritated that I get sleepy when I want to remain awake!

So I will probably want to sleep out of want and not out of need if sleep were optional and totally in my control(not forced by tiredness or efficiency loss).

But yes, if sleep were not required, it might well be illegal/rare!
Simple happiness, joy, contentment seems to be rare/in demand/facing extinction nowadays :?

 

[JaredJames]

I wouldn't, what would be the point?

Assuming you never felt tired there'd be no purpose to it - I'd also point out that if you don't feel tired or get to the point where you need a bit of sleep, there'd be nothing compelling you to do so.

Think about it. There are two reasons I go to bed, one is that I'm tired and the second is if I know I have to be up in the morning (or whenever) and if I don't sleep I'll be tired then (or unproductive etc) and so try to force myself to sleep.

If you suddenly removed those two issues from my life, nothing would compel me to sleep. I just wouldn't because it wouldn't cross my mind.

And then you could also consider, if you didn't need to sleep and didn't feel tired - would you be able to sleep?

 

[physics girl phd]

I'd sleep just for the dreams.

I'd probably sleep just for the warm pillows, soft mattress, and snuggly comforter... but you're certainly right about dreams too.

 

[lurky]

I think this might be a better way to pose the question:

If you could suddenly undergo some procedure that would utterly and completely remove your need for sleep, would you do it?

My answer: Absolutely.

 

[aruna]

Would we still dream without sleep?

 

[HeLiXe]

If sleep were not required, but just optional (you didn't get tired), would you ever sleep? I can say that I'd sleep much less often, if ever.

I seldom sleep as it is now, so I probably would not :) I think the last time I slept was Sunday for 4 hours or so.

 

[jhae2.718]

I'm a workaholic, so I'd never go to sleep...

 

[Office_Shredder]

I think this might be a better way to pose the question:

If you could suddenly undergo some procedure that would utterly and completely remove your need for sleep, would you do it?

My answer: Absolutely.

No side effects? Why wouldn't you? You could get the surgery and still go to sleep later. This is a much weaker question than the one posed in the OP

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Would we still dream without sleep?

Have you ever dreamt without being asleep?

 

[PhysDrew]

If people didn't need it, it would be a novelty. I'd open up 'Sleep parks' and would charge heaps to give people the new experience of sleep.
Bring friends along to receive half price admission!

 

[Upisoft]

If sleep were not required, but just optional (you didn't get tired), would you ever sleep? I can say that I'd sleep much less often, if ever.

You mean like smoking marijuana? I guess there would be law against it, but some people would do it regardless.

 

[mathwonk]

what?? is sleep required? i have not slept since 2004.

 

[lurky]

No side effects? Why wouldn't you? You could get the surgery and still go to sleep later. This is a much weaker question than the one posed in the OP

I was trying to address the issue some people were having with "but if I don't need sleep, then I wouldn't know what it means to need sleep, therefore I would not sleep."

 

[aruna]

Have you ever dreamt without being asleep?

I am not sure but I think so, yes.

What about you?
Anyone else?Is it different from being lost in random thought, though?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I am not sure but I think so, yes.

What about you?
Anyone else?


Is it different from being lost in random thought, though?

Several years ago I went through a bit of a bad patch where I had horrific nightmares multiple times a night for over a year. I'd wake up haggard, scared and depressed every day. Towards the end it got so bad that I began to hallucinate some of my nightmares whilst I was awake.

I got through all that though and am better for it. However whilst I relived some of my dreams as hallucinations I was not dreaming, there is no way to dream whilst you are awake. You can have lucid dreams where you are beginning to fall asleep but you do not really qualify as awake then.

Thinking deeply about something (daydreaming) has some similarity to dreaming (you "come to" and realize you can't remember how you walked to where you are) but is quite different

 

[mrchristo]

i love sleep, but also love my study and work.
dont think that i would change too much

too much study/work makes you go crazy, too much sleep makes you lazy.
but going to sleep whilst listening to audio lectures is the best of both worlds (any field of physics)