h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You are suffering by the sound of it! Erm, not sure what to say to that, except that I wish you well.

I certainly believe there are benefits to sleep deprivation. Once you have stayed awake past the 'I am rather tired actually' stage it is possible to pass into the 'I'm feeling rather freaky' stage. During this I personally have had some of the most interesting thoughts and even composed poems. I really do think that everyone should take advantage of the strange state of mind that consciously depriving yourself of sleep brings about. It can be a very enlightening experience. Just try not to go too insane!

Do you write poems when you aren't sleep deprived?

"Just try not to go too insane!" I think it might be a little late for that warning...

Well, I have wrote a few coz I did a bit of creative writing at university. Still, I reckon the best things are written when you haven't been forced to write them.

When you're sleep deprived, you can write in a more stream of consciousness style.

Yeah, I don't know why I suggested you shouldn't go insane considering I too have been insane for many lifetimes!

To quote the old chestnut "I don't suffer from Insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!" (Though I never heard the old chestnut say ti personally...) Can you be too insane?

Trying to revise while fully sleepy is not easy though - a fact which I will probably become painfully aware of next week...

Aye, that old chestnut certainly gets around a bit, eh?

I've had plenty of sleepless nights revising for exams and trying to compose legible sentences for essays. So I really can sympathise! Good luck with it!

Are you implying my chestnuts are promiscuous? Perhaps I'd better rephrase that...

Well, the maths is filtering in slowly, so I guess it's working.

Ooh, I never said anything about your frisky chestnuts. Not that I'm implying they're frisky. What would I know!!!

Good luck with your maths. I am hopeless at maths. Sadly, I once announced to a room full of people "hey, does anyone know what 21 add 9 is?" and expected a response... Once I realised my foolishness I could never look them in the eye again...

Still, I have learnt from my mistake, mind. I shall forever know that it equals 32.

Jess *

Well, leaving my nuts firmly out of it, as is my want, the first exam was horrible! At least I did sleep beforehand though. I painted "DON'T PANIC" on my calculator in tippex in large friendly letters. It helps. That and tea.

Was it really that horrible? I hope the rest of your exams go/went ok.

If it makes you feel better, I had a job interview the other day where my only response to one of the questions was a lot of mumbling where the only audible word was 'equality'. I looked very stupid indeed...

They were all much better than the first one!

Well, if you're going to be heard to only say one word, I can think of much worse ones that equality!

I guess you've done all you're exams now then? Feeling good about them?

D'you know, I still haven't heard whether I got that job or not!

Passed, no resits! Woohoo!

Still don't know? That can't be too good for you!

Congratulations! I bet you celebrated when you found out!

Sadly, I didn't get that job. Not surprising really after my appalling interview technique! Never mind, eh?

I did celebrate, yes. Well, worse things happen at sea.

Back on sleep deprivation, I've been out on the town the last two nights (end of term, it's a must) and in total had about 5 hours sleep since thursday morning, and I'm feeling very chirpy, despite being physically drained. Am I overcompensating? I'm looking forward to getting some rest tonight though!

Have you fully rested since your crazy nights out on the town?

I think I said earlier in this conversation (I can't actually remember!) that if you don't have much sleep for ages you do tend to feel very lively or chirpy.

I've noticed that you tend to go through stages:
1: very tired
2: very lively
3: very insane!
These stages aren't mutually exclusive, however, and when 'sleep deprived' you may not be able to tell the difference! I really think it depends on how long you go without sleep though.

Let me know what you think!
JESS

You did mention a phenomenon you described as the 'I'm feeling rather freaky' stage. Well, I've passed through all of those into the 'week later and in bed with a cold' stage. I'm passing out of it though.

I think it's certainly true that if you don't sleep for long enough you go round the twist.

I don't think I feel the very tired stage that much, possibly just used to it? I can just read a book or something instead and ignore it.

It seems everyone else round here is falling into the 'cold' stage. Hope you're feeling better! I seem to have escaped so far... I'm bound to catch it now, thanks!

Yes, I do like the 'freaky' stage. Tis my favourite!

Although lately I have been suffering more from over-sleeping rather than lack of it! I can have 12 hours and still feel tired. Sorry to make you jealous!

I'm not sleeping too badly at the moment actually. Well, obviously not at this very moment, I must be awake since I'm typing...

Though having said that I've noticed that I have a curios habit of stopping the video recorder at the end of the episode of whatever it is that I was watching when i fewll asleep. I fall asleep half way through, then stop it at the end without waking up. It's how I find the remote that confuses me...

I'm not sleeping too badly at the moment actually. Well, obviously not at this very moment, I must be awake since I'm typing...

Though having said that I've noticed that I have a curios habit of stopping the video recorder at the end of the episode of whatever it is that I was watching when i fewll asleep. I fall asleep half way through, then stop it at the end without waking up. It's how I find the remote that confuses me...