I can't believe it.. maybe I can... but... just after the 57 hour mark...

I f$^g fell ASLEEP!! I was so close! I had like, 15 hours left to go.. it happened so fast.. one second I was awake, the next, I was asleep. argh. I think I got a taste of what it felt like to have narcolepsy. No, seriously. I was like, on auto-pilot... the only time I felt alert or awake was about half an hour after a cup of coffee or something. The caffeine was the only thing keeping me alert. Not that I'm saying that caffeine is good or anything... I just love it to death.

I wasn't hallucinating, or anything. Although, I'm sure that if I had made it the full 73 hours I was aiming for, I would have started to see something. My eyes had trouble focusing, and when I moved my eyes across the room, the light was dragging, so out of the corners of my eyes, I kept thinking I was seeing things (like light phantoms). I was incredibly confused, and I was losing my verbal and cognitive coherence at a steady rate.

On another note, I would like to say that I have a few... quirks.. that might be construed by some as touches of mental disorders. Only touches, though... a couple mild symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, most likely created by my own mind to counteract my (seemingly constant) boredom and loneliness. The reason that I'm saying this is because the sleep deprivation not only didn't increase these thoughts... they seemed to decrease with the hours. The incredible exhaustion and confusion as my mind worked to perform even simple tasks overwhelmed most other thoughts that I had. It was like I was zoning out, but I was also fully operational (physically). Actually, now that I think about it, I was still able to make comments and think... at a drastically lesser rate than I am known for. I'm sure that my family was immensely thankful for the few days of silence.

Argh.. I don't know where I'm going with this. I think that I'll have to contemplate this further... I'm still a bit tired. I only got about 8 hours of broken sleep. It was waaay too hot. I can't sleep in the heat.

N E way.. my conclusion? I can't really say. I didn't make it the full 73 hours. I'm pissed, naturally, as I am a scientist by nature, and I hate it when my experiments fail. So, I really don't know. What I do know is that the exhaustion was completely unbearable, and the confusion was incapacitating. Even though I didn't go crazy, I was unable to function in society. So get some friggin' sleep, people! It's really important for both your body and your mind, so try to get as much sleep as you can!

peace, I'm out.

By the way, does this hurt your eyes?

Muahaha! Relish in the pain!

Well, now I've been awake for about... wait.. gimme a sec... uh... what was I doing? Oh, right... it's been about 51 hours... I'm not going crazy yet... I don't expect to see any dramatic change in my perception of reality within the next 22 hours or so... but I have noticed a drastic deterioration in my short-term memory functions and balance. I played a bit of DDR earlier to wake my body up, and my reflexes and coordination don't seem to be suffering--however, that was about 5 hours ago. I have also noticed that my complexion is... incredibly pale. I mean, I thought I was white before, but now I'm certain that I glow in the dark... during the daytime...

It's strange, though... I've been awake for almost two and a half days now, and I am not feeling the same effects that I would have had I only been awake for a day and a half. I can distinctly remember total confusion, exhaustion, and decreased hearing after only 33 hours of sleep deprivation. My friends can attest to that, since they were with me a few of the times that I experienced these very symptoms. Perhaps it... oh, there it goes. My resolve is not ebbing away, but my strength sure is. I was feeling immensely queasy, and there was a tight feeling in my throat.. I don't know what it means, but I know it is directly related to my tiredness. I think I'll make it to noon tomorrow. Maybe it's the caffeine that counteracts the effects of the tiredness. And even now, since I began typing, my eyes won't focus entirely, and I am only half aware of what I am doing. I am hyperfocusing on the task at hand, and am rambling. In order to keep myself awake, I must halt this boring task and move onto more intriguing and mentally stimulating activities. Huh, i guess my ability to articulate my thoughts eloquently has not ... uh, done.. stuff ... dammit. I forgot what the words were. oh, well.

Alas, my first post... but on a more pressing matter.. the reason that I post is as follows:

I have been awake since 10:45 am, on Tuesday the 14th.. that means, of course, that I am in my 39th hour of sleep deprivation. My intent is to verify the validity of the claim that, when deprived of sleep for at least 72 hours, one may be classified as being clinically insane. I am not sure if this will last. I don't know if I can make it to 72 hours or even more. I hope to try for 73, but I can already feel my mental resolve slipping. My personal record before this week was only 37 hours. Pathetic, I know, but I love my sleep! I can feel my coherence breaking away slowly, though I wonder if i will become far more eloquent in my writing as the deprivation progresses. My body will be incredibly... well, pissed at me... when this is all over, considering the amounts of caffeine that I will be ingesting. Actually, it's making me shake as I type. I will try to keep my mind occupied with stimulating activities. I feel that using my computer will help immensely, as it keeps my brain awake while my body rests. It is important that I bear in mind to keep my body awake with physical activity (or the occasional cold shower) without straining it to the point of exhaustion. Well, anyway.. this is getting boring... gotta keep my brain awake!

I'll probably post again when I hit the 48 hour mark... and then again at regular intervals until I reach my goal... that is, if I can manage to keep myself awake until then... wow, my body's gonna kick the s*** out of me.