Sleepy Owl by Mara Morea

Sleep deprivation isn't good for the mind and body as revealed by scientific studies. Using the mere power of our deductions, it can simply be stated that no good ever truly comes to anyone who drives or tweaks with heavy machinery half-awake. It doesn't, however, stop anyone from being a victim of their own stupidity.

When you microsleep, that one second to half a minute is all it takes to propel yourself and others to the realm beyond this one. Microsleep occurs when your brain automatically shuts down (just like your laptop on sleep mode) and you don't consciously realize that it is happening. It's akin to a mental blackout.

I've come to realize that when I am mildly sleep-deprived, I feel as though my senses are snugly protected from directly perceiving the sharp edges of reality.

In other words, I don't get too bothered by other people's natural ability to rub me the wrong way. I find myself easily delighted by mundane everyday occurrences and if vague attempts at chit-chatting are initiated, I may actually start to blab away about some random nonsense or another.

There will be this strangely comforting buzzing sensation within and all around me. There's a kind of fluidity in the way the sleep-deprived 'me' view the world.

Ah, how very unfair that when I am just about to appreciate this existence, my mind is teetering on the edge of sleep or death.

Nothing gets too intense or too bothersome as I go about in my mild sleep deprived state. Now, I do not drive or indulge in risky acts just to put this mellow invincibility to the test. But of course, this euphoria doesn't really last. I have to head to bed before I turn into a cranky monster.

According to research, the sleep deprived individual experiences a number of physical effects and among them, deficits in attention and working memory are regarded as the most important.

I think that explains the temporary cushiony mellowness that greets me while in that state. In normal non sleep deprived state, my hypersensitiveness correlates with the amount of attention given on a certain subject or happenings around me.

And while my memory serves me well in a lot of ways, it becomes a point of contention particularly in interactions with people who are naturally scatterbrained. No point in naming names when they're all in bliss.

What does mild sleep deprivation do to you? Are you constantly depriving yourself of sleep? If so, why would you do that?

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