Every night when we go to sleep we lose consciousness

[Meatpie]

Every night our brains switch off, sleep is amazing and beautiful.

Notice how after a hard day's work you drop in bed and within minutes you consciousness starts to slip, first for just a few seconds,then for a few minutes until you pass out for a couple of hours!

Sleep comes in phases, each longer than the previous one.

It's not painful or unpleasant.

I believe passing out and ultimately dying feel the same - they come suddenly, no time to react, your brain just switches off like a computer.

Discuss.

 

[Trex]

This is an interesting observation Meatpie. I've thought of it myself from time to time. I'm amazed how we can sleep for hours on end and when we wake up, it seems no time has passed (not including obvious external differences i.e. light or dark outside).

It is amazing and beautiful as you point out, and still poorly understood. It's interesting how desperately we need it too. Not enough and we start to slowly become insane.

The brain of course doesn't shut down, it works at different levels. Could wakefulness and sleep be anologous to life and death? Or, as you say, it's like turning off the switch of a computer..and that would be it forever.

Answer...I don't know.

 

[mxboots888]

That's how I want to ultimately die - in my sleep, rather than how these CDGs meet their violent end on here. Maybe I'll stockpile some seconals, benzos, promethazine suppositories (to prevent puking up the drugs), in case I catch a fatal disease other than old age.

I read of an interesting experiment that was done a few years back where they took young and old volunteers to agree to be sequestered in a windowless, clockless, radioless, TV-less environment and let them decide when to eat, nap, sleep and they found that the older volunteers perceived time to go by quicker than the younger volunteers. It gives some creedance to the perception that older folks always say that time just passes by quickly, whereas younger folks seem to think time drags on. We all remember the time when we were young under our parents' roof that we couldn't wait to grow up fast enough, and it seemed to drag on forever!

Ultimately, our lives on this planet is but a blink of an eye - we come into consciousness from oblivion, and we'll leave this earth the same way. Treasure and make the most of this life, people!!!

 

[Meatpie]

I believe the brain switches off like a computer when we die, yes.

Loss of consciousness can be sudden with no warning and no time to think about what's going on.

That's one of the reasons why I've given up dangerous noose play alone, you may think you are in control but you can pass out in a split second with no warning and then proceed to full hanging and death.

 

[mxboots888]

Yes, it's best that you don't do that anymore MP. If you croak, who's gonna keep this most excellent site going?

 

[UNickMaker]

Unless you are being murdered

 

[platinum]

I think that's a very pretty shade of blue for the text in your first post on this thread DM, very restful and soothing.............(Well you didn't expect a serious comment from ME did you?

 

[Kael]

How falling asleep and dying can feel so much the same is one of the reasons for my insomnia. I hate knowing that I will fall asleep and forget everything, lose consciousness and just stop being the person I am (especially if dreaming since then I get other memories and so forth). It would be my preferred way to die though. If I were ever to commit suicide it would be by overdose of sleeping pills.

 

[platinum]

Alright then, I'll be serious for a moment. A few years ago I had an operation which seemed to go well, in the intensive recovery room an hour or two later, I suddenly started vomiting up large amounts of 'coffee grounds' (residue of internal bleeding), a nurse and a doctor on either side holding me up as I did this, when suddenly....NOTHING!......When I came around I was surrounded by loads of Med staff and machines and thinking 'what the fuck!'. Apparently, I'd died for a few minutes. It seems it happens quite a lot. Well, I recoverd and became the sprightly sane person I am today. But it did remove any fear I may have had of death. It's just nothing, you don't know anything or feel anything so why bother worrying about it. I live each day as if it is a special gift bonus (which in a way it is!). If I wasn't dead long enough to 'go towards the light' then there may well be an afterlife and that's an added bonus, but if there isn't then so what, we won't know anything about it.
Now the manner of dying is another whole can of worms completely. I think the thing I'd hate to lose most, is my mental faculties (I heard those of you who said I already have!) If I knew that was happening to me, then I'd opt for suicide, and I think the easiest option would be an overdose of tablets, go in your sleep. If I just had a physical debilitation, then I think I'd just grin and bear it (or groan and bear it!).

Okay, serious hat is off now, silly head is back on.

 

[KiltedSoldier]

Hey mate perhaps you are dead, killed by a NHS doctor, the rest of us too, killed in battle, hung, stabbed etc, which is why we discuss it

 

[bindiboi]

Yeah, when I had my death scare years ago there was nothing. I have always wished that instead of, "dying" while sleeping it had happened while I was awake so that I could feel death. I have always felt cheated. All I know is if I ever get a terminal disease like 4th stage cancer, I am showing up on one of your doorsteps and letting you have my body, nice and fresh.

 

[pigfoot70]

lack of sleep causes a lot of issues with family, friends and coworkers and some people are very inconsiderate of others need for a good night's sleep, i know i live with an asshole not working who doesn't understand that i need quiet after a certain time of night. loud ass motherfucker.

 

[Christiaan]

no memory of sleep when you wake up = no memory in death