Why haven't humans 'evolved' to not need sleep? - Page 4

zoltan · 07-24-2012, 07:01 PM

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17370036

Quote:

Cell Mol Life Sci. 2007 May;64(10):1216-26.
Genetics of sleep and sleep disorders.

Kimura M, Winkelmann J.
Source

Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. kimura@mpipsykl.mpg.de

Abstract

Genetic factors affect sleep. Studies in twin pairs demonstrate that the strong hereditary influences on sleep architecture and some sleep disorders are transmitted through families. Evidence like this strongly suggests that sleep regulation receives significant influence from genetic factors. Although recent molecular technologies have revealed evidence that genetic traits or gene products trigger particular changes in sleep electroencephalogram activity, we are still far from finding candidate genes or multiple mutations responsible for individual sleep disorders. Sleep is a very complex phenotype. Genetic susceptibility and environmental factors should be also considered as contributors to sleep phenotype. The aim of this review is to present a current summary and future prospects for genetic studies on sleep and selected sleep-associated disorders.

sadyoshi · 07-24-2012, 09:22 PM

The brain was evolved to work in two 'phases', awake and sleep. During 'sleep', a lot of complicated stuff happens so that you are more effective during 'awake'. I'd guess that a big factor in this evolution is because of the day-night cycle.

I'd also guess that once evolved into this two-phase system, it's hard to evolve back out of it. I mean mutations are gradual steps, it's possible that there is just no gradual step to get to a one-phase brain.

And who knows, maybe we have only really recently (like 100 yrs) broken out of the dependence on the day-night cycle, so evolution based on this hasn't even begun yet.

newguy1234 · 07-25-2012, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lestat

You really do have problems when it comes to grasping 0% and what the word 'never' means, don't you? You should fix that about yourself.

wat?

SABR42 · 07-25-2012, 03:42 PM

We don't know the exact details of why we need to sleep, but this is what happens to people who lose the ability to sleep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

I think this is possibly the worst way to die. I'd take a gun and shoot myself if I had this.

masque de Z · 07-25-2012, 08:22 PM

So isnt this therefore the answer to why brain needs sleep? Study how those that suffer from fatal insomnia end up dying. What kills them? Follow the deterioration of their system and document the changes.

thebreaker27 · 07-25-2012, 09:11 PM

From what I've been reading, the more your learn new skills the more you sleep. Looking at great achievers in competitive fields with an easy to distinguish skill level biography's you can also see that they sleep a lot.

thebreaker27 · 07-25-2012, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SABR42

We don't know the exact details of why we need to sleep, but this is what happens to people who lose the ability to sleep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

I think this is possibly the worst way to die. I'd take a gun and shoot myself if I had this.

Quote:

One patient was able to exceed the average survival time by nearly one year with various strategies, including vitamin therapy and meditation, using different stimulants and narcoleptics and even complete sensory deprivation in an attempt to induce sleep at night and increase alertness during the day. Nonetheless, over the course of his trials, the patient succumbed to the classic four-stage progression of symptoms.

Nice, will look into it, his techniques to cope with it probably have correlation with boost in learning rate.

Mr Beer · 07-25-2012, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick2

If sleep suddenly becomes a detriment to reproducing, those that sleep less will make more babies and sleeping lots will become less common.

Since that hasn't happened, it hasn't happened.

This. Took to post 20 to get the "/thread" out there.

newguy1234 · 07-25-2012, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Beer

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick2 View Post
If sleep suddenly becomes a detriment to reproducing, those that sleep less will make more babies and sleeping lots will become less common.

Since that hasn't happened, it hasn't happened.

This. Took to post 20 to get the "/thread" out there.

/thread

omg I thought id won but i lost! gratz!

BrianTheMick2 · 07-26-2012, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SABR42

We don't know the exact details of why we need to sleep, but this is what happens to people who lose the ability to sleep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

I think this is possibly the worst way to die. I'd take a gun and shoot myself if I had this.

That is ridiculous.

Just off the top of my head, I came up with 483 ways that would be worse.

Several of them involve having fatal familial insomnia and gas cramps at the same time though.

BrianTheMick2 · 07-26-2012, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chezlaw

I like sleep, particularly like feelin

g sleepy while in bed with no compelling need to get up . Doing this in a synchronized fashion can be good too.

I've found that momentarily waking up feeling somewhat refreshed and glancing at the clock that says "you got 3 more hours before you've got to wake up" to be some of the best moments of my life.

Quote:

and kids should have a sleep mode switch.

My grandmother used to give us nyquill and put vick's vapo rub on our eyebrows when she wanted us to sleep.

Very effective. Proper motivation is key when dealing with the little ones.

BrianTheMick2 · 07-26-2012, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebreaker27

From what I've been reading, the more your learn new skills the more you sleep. Looking at great achievers in competitive fields with an easy to distinguish skill level biography's you can also see that they sleep a lot.

There are notable exceptions.

Edison wasn't much of a sleeper, for instance.

thebreaker27 · 07-26-2012, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick2

There are notable exceptions.

Edison wasn't much of a sleeper, for instance.

Quote:

Thomas Edison was something of a self-hating napper. He liked to boast about how hard he worked, how he slept only three or four hours a night, and how he would sometimes work for 72 hours straight. But in truth the key to his spectacular productivity was something he was loathe to mention and hid from others: daily napping. Once when his friend Henry Ford paid a visit to his lab, Edison’s assistant stopped him from going into the inventor’s office because Edison was snoozing. Ford said, “But I thought Edison didn’t sleep very much.” To which the assistant answered, “He doesn’t sleep very much at all, he just naps a lot.”

Edison said he could sleep “as sound as a bug in a barrel of morphine” and he often got in a couple of 3 hour naps during the day. One of his associates said that Edison’s “genius for sleep equaled his genius for invention. He could go to sleep anywhere, anytime, on anything.” Indeed, he would often curl up for his naps on a workbench or in a closet.

First Link I Open.

From what I've seen, the ability to really focus don't seem to go over 4 hours (Talent Code book for reference), I speculate that meditation, naps and exercise can increase this time.

Strubbs · 07-26-2012, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick2

I've found that momentarily waking up feeling somewhat refreshed and glancing at the clock that says "you got 3 more hours before you've got to wake up" to be some of the best moments of my life.

+ infinity.

SABR42 · 07-27-2012, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick2

That is ridiculous.

Just off the top of my head, I came up with 483 ways that would be worse.

Several of them involve having fatal familial insomnia and gas cramps at the same time though.

It may not be THE worst but it's among the worst.

I once stayed awake like 2 days straight and all of my muscles were very sore and it was an awful feeling. Being totally sleep deprived for months would be physical and mental torture.