This press release from two months ago resulted in BBC reporting that was extensively discussed here on HN back then.[1] (I remember this because I had a good night's sleep last night.) As usual for news stories about science discoveries, this is a report of a preliminary primary research finding that may or may not be replicated and extended into the framework of an overall theory of human sleep. The science news cycle gives a crucial role to press releases like the release kindly submitted here,[2] so all of us who sleep will look forward to further research studies to confirm or disconfirm this preliminary finding and help us understand how this mouse study relates to human behavior.<p>The obligatory link for any discussion of a report on a preliminary research result is the article "Warning Signs in Experimental Design and Interpretation"[3] by Peter Norvig, director of research at Google, on how to interpret scientific research. Considering carefully how the current research was done (after a good night's sleep, of course) may help suggest further research that will advance our understanding of what sleep is good for.<p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6567966" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6567966</a><p>[2] <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1174" rel="nofollow">http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1174</a><p>[3] <a href="http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html" rel="nofollow">http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html</a>
Not sure what it is with me, but if have no daily obligations and don't force my self to go to sleep at night, I always end up reversing my sleep schedule. Been that way even through high-school, summer vacation comes and I'm there watching tv or playing video games until 5-6am and then I crash and wake up for lunch at 1-2pm. Somehow, the peacefulness of the night is soothing, even my mind seams clearer. Also, sometimes my mind is racing, and I won't go to sleep even if my body is tired. Usually, at that time before crashing, I feel so close to having all the answers.
I know this is OT, and it's not caused by sleep deprivation, but does anyone know what NIH uses to generate their site. It seems simple and straightforward on the surface but a look at the source reveals it to be tight, templated, and well organized. Seems well designed and executed.
We need more research on sleep, to be able to further improve the 33% of our life (assuming 8 hours of sleep).<p>While ideas like polyphasic sleep are cool to tinker with, the long term risks are too high IMO to 'experiment' as we know so little about sleep.
And I only slept 3 hours tonight. However, I've came to master my sleep cycles. Had I slept 3.5 or 5 hours, I would be dead tired right now. I wonder if it's long enough for the brain to clears itself. I tend to sleep only a few hours all month, then I get tired once a month and sleep for around 12 to 14 hours and feel good for the next 30 days or so.<p>I'm probably killing myself. Or perhaps I've found the perfect sleep schedule for me.
I wonder how this works for people who have stayed up for multiple days at a time. I know of people who have underwent sleep deprivation studies for over several days. The current record, I think, is 2 weeks. Personally, I have stayed up 3 nights in a row once to study for a chemistry exam. I've had great mental clarity and focus during the entire time. Yes, it was harder to do than fully rested. But, I have often found that I do better under pressure anyways.<p>By the way, I also ended up getting the highest score on the exam and in the class. It was a brutal chemistry course. Only two of us got A's, and the other guy got an A-.
This is really cool, and surprisingly similar to the way some software systems are designed. Probably because I have been researching it a lot, but this reminds me of a data replication system, where data builds and builds during active periods of the day, and then at night when activity slows, the back logs are processed and cleared by morning.