Sleep A Thing Of The Past

[Gundampilotspaz]

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13507653,00.html

New drugs which will allow people to survive on only two hours sleep a day are being developed, scientists have said.

The drugs will allow people to cope with the pressures of 24-hour society.

The New Scientist magazine says the new 'lifestyle' pills will deliver sleep which is deeper and more refreshing than the real thing, with some giving what feels like eight hours sleep in half the time.

The pills could even allow people not to sleep for several days in a row.

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Russell Foster, a circadian biologist at Imperial College London, said: "The more we understand about the body's 24-hour clock the more we will be able to override it.

"In 10 to 20 years we'll be able to pharmacologically turn sleep off. Mimicking sleep will take longer, but I can see it happening."

Neil Stanley, head of sleep research at the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the University of Surrey, countered: "I think that would be the most hideous thing to happen to society."

Scientists are hoping to build on the success of the drug Modafinil, a stimulant launched seven years ago which allows people to wake up refreshed after four hours of sleep.

[Wind]

I bet obesity rates will plummet with the ability to be active for basically 24 hours

[darkon]

I bet obesity rates will plummet with the ability to be active for basically 24 hours

But there will also be a rise in sickness since people will have weak immunity systems most likely.

I deal with always being a little sick because my body can't fight colds that well since I never sleep and am always stressed.

[Venom112]

I bet obesity rates will plummet with the ability to be active for basically 24 hours

Then again, lack of sufficient sleep has been linked to an outrageous increase in the body's usual fat storage. Course if this pill makes it so that these 2 hours are magically just as good over the long run as 8 hours, it won't be much of an issue. There exists some problems here.

1. Margaret Mead's theory of increased speed in increased technology would certainly be evident, and who knows what would happen there.

2. With all that time, what are businesses going to do? Increase work hours and decrease pay I bet!

On the plus side, productivity is likely up, and sleep deprivation has been shown to lower depression (even though the pill will supposedly, once again, be like sleeping for 8 hours).

[darkon]

Not sleeping lowers depression rates?

No wonder I'm always happy.

[Tanni Foemangler]

guess i'll post this again for those who missed it... two days ago

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_i...lastnode_id=124

re: 2 hours of sleep per day

[Venom112]

guess i'll post this again for those who missed it... two days ago

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_i...lastnode_id=124

re: 2 hours of sleep per day

I would venture to guess that a routine of naturally altering sleep patterns could be slightly different from medically enforced ones.

[Tanni Foemangler]

I would venture to guess that a routine of naturally altering sleep patterns could be slightly different from medically enforced ones.

i'd be interested to see the difference between the two. one of you prospective science students should do a study

[Kreutz]

Great, now they can drug us and sleep-deprive us. We should be nice and maleable now.

[rockerluke]

Sleeping is joy for me. So I guess I would take those drugs only if waking up 24 hours is necessary.

[Belial]

The only way I can see something like this working is if it puts you straight into R.E.M., but I've already been working on my own 'Al Natural way to do that simply by meditating. I will beat you Arcane! I will!

[Battle_Pope]

I don't know what they could do to enhance Modafinil, it's already pretty good.