a brief survey

[جوري]

This is informal and, I won't use the information revealed here without permission.
Already there are several studies out there about sleep deprivation, I just need to see if there are any aberrations between what members have felt here compared to the general population. I don't want people to be eager to please as to make up symptoms, further I understand that this is a 'retrospective' type study and that people can't always remember events unless they'd made an indelible impression. I appreciate your help
here it is
1-what was the longest period you've ever gone without sleep?
2- did it affect your Gait, muscle tone?

did it affect your Speech?

did it affect your thought processes

can you tell me the general Thought content and if it interfered with your usual daily activities?

did it affect your perception

did it affect your mood/affect

did it affect your Insight/judgment

did you experience any behavior that can be classified as mania (an affective disorder in which the victim tends to respond excessively and sometimes violently to a particular stimulus)

also just put a check next to the symptoms your have experienced or add symptoms that you may have experienced, If these symptoms appear leading, then please ignore them and just describe what you have in fact experienced..

Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations
Sweating
Shaking visibly or inside
Choking sensations or lump in throat
Smothering or shortness of breath sensations
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort
Dizziness or unsteadiness
Feeling light-headed
Derealisation (feeling unreal or dreamy)
Depersonalisation (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities or body
Chills or hot flushes
Skin losing colour
Blushing or skin blotches
Urgently needing to urinate or defecate
Also if you can kindly tell me if you were taking any other meds at the time...
and how long after you got adequate sleep did these symptoms resolve?

thank you

 

[wilberhum]

A long time ago, when I was about 35, every 3 months, I would get up, go to work for a minimum of 30 hours, come home and go back to bed.
Towards the end, it was imposable to multi task. It also became more and more difficult to get your mind on the next task.

After about a 14 hour sleep, my mind would be a bit dull. About the same feeling as waking up after an evening of too much drink.
The next day I was fine.

Now I think 30 hour shift would totally put me under.

 

[al_islam]

pls check PM for replies.

 

[ahsan28]

I experienced sleep deprivation for an uninterrupted spell of 26 days at glaciated terrain, during mountain climbing expedition. I couldn't maintain my health due to sleeplessness and absence of proper diet mainly due to high altitude, except for soft drinks and casual soft diet. My blood pressure had gone very low and I used to take salty water regularly in order to keep myself going. I had become very rude during that period, may be due to lack of sleep.

 

[جوري]

26 days straight? surely you must have napped at least a half an hour or so.. death will surely ensue from sleep deprivation I believe maximum is 10-11 days..
If you can remember the experience can you please write about it in more details.. for instance did you experience hallucinations? delusions? how it affected your over all health..
just anything at all you can remember even if not fllowing the guideline I posted above would be appreciated..

thank you everyone who has particpated so far

 

[ahsan28]

Was talking about regular sleep, which I didn't but I used to nap for 1-2 hours daily or may be even more, don't remember correctly. Not all suffer from insomnia at high altitude, but yes majority gets affected. Actually we faced snow blizzard for several days, which affected our mental and physical endurance to a great deal. We suffered another blow when doctor from our team developed pulmonary oedema and had to be left behind for evacuation. To cut short, the problems experienced by me were:-

1. Loss of appetite
2. Loss of sleep.
3. Breathing problem, since oxygen is very less beyond 20,000 ft.

Its only will power and determination, which remains a key factor against these odds, medicines don't play significant role at high altitude.

 

[جوري]

some diuretics like acetazolamide can be given for high altitude hypoxia (chronic mountain sickeness)

perhaps mountain sickness played a factor in you having an altered sensorium than just lack of sleep alone..

I do hope more people will share their experience if still vivid in their mind..

thanks