Sleeping is boring!

Page 2 of 2 [ 25 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2

Previous topic | Next topic

Dnuos
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 588

21 Aug 2010, 10:08 pm

arecibo_ wrote:

This is from an interview with musician Richard D. James (more commonly known under his alias of Aphex Twin), I think it's relevant to the topic -

Quote:

TO BE THIS (OVER) PRODUCTIVE is closer to an affliction than a gift. A week before our interview, James got stranded at his parents’ home in Wales (his car broke down); being separated from his studio nearly drives him mad. This need to unloose the flood of ideas is one reason why he sleeps such a famously small amount: two or three hours a night. He tells me he once went five weeks without a wink. Come off it, I say, sleep-deprivation is a form of torture, a way of inducing mental breakdown prior to brainwashing. Why does he do it? And how?

"When I was little, I decided sleep was a waste of your life. If you lived to be 100, but you didn't sleep, it'd be like living to 200. But , originally, it wasn't for more time to make music, it was just that I thought sleep was a bit of a con. I'd always been able to get away with four hours a night, but I tried to narrow it down to two. And you do get used to it. I reckon it'd take you three weeks to whittle down from eight hours to two. You should try it, it's wicked."

My theory is that sleep deprivation has everything to do with the eerie, spaced-out aura of Aphex's music. Neurologists say that humans have an in-built need to dream. Which is why you feel ‘unreal’ if you've stayed up all night or are jet-lagged: the brain is trying to dream while you're still conscious.

"It gets very strange when I don't sleep for a long time. Cos it's not that I'm actually that good at staying awake. I can only do it if I'm making music. If I watch TV during a period of going without sleep for three days, I always fall asleep immediately. But it's f***ing excellent, not sleeping, you really should try it. It’s sort of nice and not-nice at the same time. Your mind starts getting scatty, like you’re senile. You do unpredictable things, like making tea but pouring it in a cereal bowl."

Aphex Twin! Regarding the same subject, didn't RDJ also say once that some (or many?) of his melodies also came from dreams, and he would write them out as he woke up?

I wish I could do that. Either way, his works are amazing.

This is exactly my problem. One of the doctors I told about this, was quick to jump to Bipolar, which made no sense. Yeah I didn't want to go to sleep, but I still got tired as a result. Being sleep deprived is one of the reasons I fell to depression.

It's so annoying, since under the medication I'm on now, I can't sleep in past 9AM. Lately, it seems now I can't even sleep in past 8AM. So I can't afford to stay up late anymore, which flat-out sucks. Because I too am much more creative late at night. On the topic of music, I end up writing most of my stuff at night. Which isn't much so far, but it's a work in progress. Of the few things I've written during the daytime, I still look at it as rubbish.

Ever since it was a kid, I've hated sleep. Which is why when I was sent to bed, I would play the Gameboy, under the nightlight, for at least another hour. I know that everyone gets dreams, but I rarely recall any of them, seeming as if I never dream. I often never feel anymore rested when I wake up, either. Ironically, I'm more awake before I sleep then after I get some sleep. Geez.

Jessi_in_wonderland
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 9 Aug 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 273
Location: Honolulu

21 Aug 2010, 10:19 pm

Don't take this the wrong way, but I suggest you get off all meds. For me they had no effect on my behavior, other than causing me to eat too much, eat too less, sleep too much, you get what I'm saying. I was hospitalized, and they told my mom (regarding my ASD diagnosis) there is no cure for it.

Dnuos
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 588

22 Aug 2010, 12:33 am

Jessi_in_wonderland wrote:

It's meds (at the moment, just one) regarding clinical depression. Believe me, if I had my way I wouldn't be taking any kind of medication.

I hate the concept of medication and hope to be rid of it forever eventually. But because of a severe depression episode earlier this year, I'm highly advised to have it for now. As for ASD, I know no meds work for it, which is why I was opposed to them giving me anxiety medication (to be less anxious around others) when I was hospitalized. As no one but I could have guessed, it failed to help, and just costed money.

It's not having much of an effect on me, to be honest, as I'm still feeling down sometimes, but I'm not contemplating suicide anymore so that's something. I blame the "feeling down" to sleep deprivation. That in itself messes me up, and in a bad way.

I just remembered this thread because I have to wake up at 8AM for something. But right now it's 1:30AM and I still don't want to go to sleep. It's like I can't function in the mornings but I can hyper-function at nights. :/

Jessi_in_wonderland
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 9 Aug 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 273
Location: Honolulu

22 Aug 2010, 7:51 pm

For some reason at night it's easier for me too and I think it's because the hustle and bustle of the day is gone. It's a more relaxed time to do things. I hope your depression goes away- I hate being sad. Try to give yourself distractions- it helps to be distracted from the sad thoughts.

Pageognat
Raven
Raven

Joined: 3 Jun 2010
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Posts: 116
Location: Florida

22 Aug 2010, 8:21 pm

I usually fall asleep at around midnight-2:00 AM, and wake up at 9:AM-11:00 AM. During school, I have to get up at 6:00, so that sucks.

Once I'm older, I'll get a work at home job, so I sleep when I want.

_________________
This post has been Pageognat-approved.

SaxNerd
Snowy Owl

Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 156
Location: Melbourne, Australia

24 Aug 2010, 5:35 am

I don't know whether sleep is boring-I probably don't get enough of it to be able to give an informed opinion. I don't think I dream-I probably don't get to the REM (rapid-eye-movement) phase. I actually invent my own dream while trying to fall asleep, and I add to it every night, as I create my idea of a perfect world.

I go to sleep late, but not as late as some other people on this forum. The time I go to bed and try to sleep depends on what I have to do the next day. No later than midnight on a schoolnight, 11pm if there is something important the next day, and 1am on saturday, and some friday nights.

I agree with some othrs here that I think better at night-I do a lot of homework at night. If I do it earlier, I just can't seem to concentrate. I feel more comfortable at night because it is time to relax, lock the door, and finally have some quiet time to myself, when I can do anything I want. For this reason, I am somewhat emotionally attached to my bedroom and everything in it: my bed, piles of clothes and books on the floor, this computer I am typing on right now, my saxophone, etc.

_________________
Apologies for the excessive length of my posts.

NovaKnight
Butterfly

Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 14

25 Aug 2010, 2:02 pm

I was actually afraid to sleep when I was younger. Now, I have difficulties sleeping due to a restless mind actually at times. I found out that songwriting was able to alleviate the issues though. Maybe you can find an outlet like that to help.

Helixstein
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,744
Location: New Zealand

27 Aug 2010, 7:00 am

Pageognat wrote:

Ditto. I also, have to get up at 6am, so I usually fall asleep on the bus ride home. ATM, it is 5 minutes to midnight, and I plan to stay awake until around 3am, get up at 8am, do the usual folding of boxes I do on a Saturday Morning, then go back to bed afterwards, this, in my opinion, is semi-nocturnalism.

In relation to dreams, I dream about subjects that I day dream about.
For example:Lately, I have been day dreaming about an event where my entire school climbs vertically, then sinks into the centre of the Earth. The dirt's pressure on the windows causes the windows to cave in, and majority of people are killed by either the unsecured furniture falling while the school is climbing, or by the dirt. I would prefer the former! It is actually more of a day nightmare for most, but it is so entertaining!
Anyhow, I had a replica dream last night, except it was the local library that had this disaster occur.

_________________
"We accept the love we think we deserve."

SaxNerd
Snowy Owl

Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 156
Location: Melbourne, Australia

28 Aug 2010, 7:49 am

NovaKnight wrote:

I've already tried that, but it just makes me stressed because I can never think of ideas. To 'wind down', I do things like learning music theory, playing nintendo Ds and of course, visiting WP!

_________________
Apologies for the excessive length of my posts.

Page 2 of 2 [ 25 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2

Jump to:

Sleeping is boring! Post Reply New Topic

Sleeping is boring!