Reverse polarity, and you’re in my place. It’s simply inconceivable to me that one wouldn’t take this pill…and yes, that word means what I think it means.
What I really don’t get about people who wouldn’t give up sleep is: is that the only way you can relax? The only time your mind wanders, is given free reign? Are you saying that you couldn’t climb into bed and curl up in the warm sheets? That you wouldn’t snuggle with others? That somehow, the sensation of doing any/all of these would be irreplacably lost if sleep wasn’t an end result?
It’s just so strange to me…the only times I’ve ever truly wanted to sleep – as an imperative, not just as “something to do” – are: (1) during bouts of depression, (2) when suffering physical exhaustion or pain, or (3) due to drug-induced effects. In none of those is sleeping anything but a temporary treatment of symptom; a brief respite, but not a goal in and of itself. And if it’s not imperative…then something else could, by definition, take its place.
Obviously, some feel differently. Nothing wrong with that, but nonetheless…I don’t get it.
For me, yes. Of course I can relax, let my mind wander, and snuggle without sleeping. But you lose that drift. And that drift is awesome. On both the falling asleep and the waking sides of it. There’s nothing in the world, for instance, that could possibly replace the feeling of waking up next to someone I love.
That’s just flat-out weird…to me. Sure, the progression to/from awake and asleep is great, as are other elements of sleeping. Are these things uniquely tied to the act of sleeping? For me, not so much. “More things in heaven and earth”, one might say.
So, let us celebrate our differences – I’ll continue work on a puzzler of a programming problem, and you can go back to bed.
Rubystreak, it sounds as though rather than giving up sleep permanently, you would really like to get a good night’s sleep. I don’t see the logical connection from “I can’t get a good night’s sleep” to “I wish I never had to sleep.”
It’s not so much the sleeping for me as the waking up. That moment when I realize that I’m awake but don’t have to get up and that I have another whole day in front of me to do whatever I want with is priceless. That and waking up to a pile of purring cats make for a great way to start the day.
Well, yes, she is, since she says she’s “amazed by people who would give up” sleep. Sure, it would be amazing that I am willing to give up sleep if it were as pleasurable for me as it is for her. It’s not amazing if you consider that other people’s experience of sleep is miserable. Sleep is not enjoyable for me. Even on the nights when I get OK sleep, I wake up feeling like crap because the act of laying down for that long screws up my joints and back. I also have bad dreams, and could definitely use the extra 8 hours in the day. I would give it up and not miss it. What’s illogical about that?
I’d probably take it, but with a tiny pang of regret. On the whole, I find sleep a bit of an inconvenience, so I spend as little time as possible doing it . A pill to make that easier does sound pretty tempting.
On the other hand, there are times, after a physically and mentally tiring day, that sinking into contented sleep is indeed a pleasant sensation - I’d miss that.
But pragmatism would probably win out - an extra few hours in the day would be quite useful.
I don’t think the societal adjustments would be fundamentally all that different to the ones that accompanied the relaxation of Sunday Trading restrictions. People don’t start doing new things, they just do the same things in new time slots.
Thing would change, but I don’t think it would cause real upheaval - In the stories by Nancy Kress, it did, but I think that was mostly because only a very select few became sleepless and the contrast did cause societal imbalance.
Ah, you did. Well, consider it more for the benefit of those who unhesitatingly said “yes.” Like those who voted to take themselves and everyone they knew back to the Sixties for a large amount of money, I suspect they really didn’t think it through (or, at least, consider the points I thought were relevant).
I’d definitely take the pill. I hate having to sleep; it uses up time I could be doing something else. And while you’re at it get me one of those magic pocketwatches that stops time; I could catch up on my reading, without having to take time from things that involve the outside world.
Hmmm. I hate *going *to sleep, the transition between consciousness and dozing, but that’s because I’m never sure if it’s happening. I might get bored being awake all the time or when the majority of people are asleep.
On the other hand, I would have more time, and I do find myself sometimes desiring to continue doing things all night. I’d probably do it.
Sure, I’d do it. I’ve often been short on sleep because I’m doing something and don’t want to go to bed. I’ve stayed up for a couple of days before, because I hate sleeping on flights and going from Japan back to the US, day and night are basically flip-flopped. I’ve also indulged in some party behavior where I was up for pretty much the whole weekend.
I like sleeping, but I also don’t like having to sleep when I’ve got more interesting things to do. There’s nothing that says you can’t rest or zone out. I’ve entered interesting states of consciousness when I’ve had insomnia and instead of worrying about it I just drift somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. You can still relax, cuddle, laze around in bed if you feel like it, so yeah, I’d take the pill.
I’m surprised no one had mentioned it but I couldn’t comprehend life being one long, monotonous, narrative. Sleep cuts life down into bite sized snacks with interesting bits, difficult bits and lovely bits. I love sleep and dream vividly every night so perhaps my opinion is a bit coloured by that, but I couldn’t imagine going a month without sleep let alone the rest of my life.
Oh gawd no, I love dreaming way too much. I have some favorite recurring dreams, and some favorite recurring dream locations. I could never spend as much time at the beach in real life as I do in my dreams Plus often I have dream encounters with people from my past, both alive and dead people, just people I miss, and when I wake up after these it has the same emotional impact on me as if the visit was real. I just really love sleeping.
