Without sleep, we lose our minds.
Eventually, the mind will give out.
The mind plays tricks with no rest.
Seeing things and believing things that aren't there can be quite disturbing.
All you can think sometimes is...
"Is it real?"
Redditor vicke1230 wanted to talk to the sleepless.
So they asked:
"Have you ever not slept for so long that you started hallucinating? What was your experience?"
I love sleep. I can't go without it.
Do sleep...
Tired Good Night GIF by DisneyGiphy"I was a passenger in a car and looking out the window the shadows from trees would morph and grow and move. It was kinda scary but I enjoyed it. It was like drugs before I did drugs. Don't do drugs. Do sleep."
cominaroundthecorner
70 hours or so....
"Yeah, after 70 hours or so. It's pretty disorienting and rational thinking starts to get very slow. The hallucinations are not realistic but are more like gaps in your vision that are shaped like things. Might see a silhouette at a distance or briefly around a corner."
"Very difficult to function in this state. Would not recommend."
Komi_San
Fire
"A buddy of mine landed a painting job working inside of a big commercial building and he basically stayed in the place for 6 days straight smoking and painting to meet his deadline and avoid hiring a crew to help him."
"On the 6th day the building caught fire and he ran into the lobby and was pulling people out into the streets and yelling to call 9-1-1. The firemen showed up and couldn’t locate a fire because there was none. He was hallucinating."
bigmikesbeingnice
At the Library
"During exam week I pulled 3 all-nighters in the library between tests. The library was open 24hr so I'd just stay up all night making note cards then go take an exam during the day. I lived off campus and didn't want to spend the gas money. I'd go to the most isolated area but the library would pretty much be cleared out by midnight."
"I started to see glimpses of people and I thought it was a bunch of students f**king with me but there was no one on that floor. I thought the lights went off at some point and maybe it was a sensor so I started jumping around to reactivate it but obviously, it was lit the whole time."
iBelieveInSpace
I hear things...
Fran Healy Reaction GIF by TravisGiphy"I went roughly 4 days on 5 hours sleep total. I could function fine but I would just constantly hear things like people mumbling right next to me."
CPTJSPARROW1
I could never function!
From Above
vintage spider GIFGiphy"Spent a few weeks only getting about 4 hours of sleep a night. My brain started seeing, from the corners of my eyes, black things dropping from the ceiling that looked like giant spiders... I started making sure I got enough sleep."
McChicken meal, please.
"Ex-addict. Was driving home after a 3 day bender. Needed food so drove into a Mcdonald's drive thru. When asked for my order I replied 'McChicken meal, please.' Then they asked me against and I said 'McChicken meal, please.' Then they asked me AGAIN and I was like 'Can't you f**ken hear me? McChicken meal!' and that's when I realized I wasn't actually saying anything, I was just replying in my head."
CompliantRapeVictim
Shadows
"Yes I saw shadow creatures and I thought they were out to get me."
dre2048500
"Me too. I had been sleep deprived for weeks (<3 hours a night most nights) and hadn’t slept the night before. I was out a walk with friends and we stopped for a bit and then I started seeing the shadows move. Then they looked like a pile of bodies and then I was convinced that they’d come drag me into the pit."
"OP, get some sleep this experiment isn’t worth it."
ileisen
"I'm better now"
"I had really bad sleep problems for years.. At one point I went to a party having been awake for 36 hours when arriving. I didn't really hallucinate also because I couldn't sleep, but when I finally did, I got the sleep I needed needed. The problem was mostly falling asleep."
"For me stress and lack of sleep triggers some form of sleep-paralysis and these weird dreams where I'm lying down somewhere and I can't see properly and I can't get up because everything is just so blurry and spinning around. It made me wake up in cold sweats and I remember once waking up and falling back asleep so many times because I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, that I called my mom crying because I did not know whether I was awake or not.
"I'm better now."
softbabydragon
Talk to Me
Worry Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphy"No sleep for 4 days straight, it really messes with your head. All sounds heightened to the max and was sure I could hear all my neighbors talking crap about me."
ReverseShoplifter
Sleep is so imperative.
Do you have any hallucination stories to share? Let us know in the comments below.
"What’s an unhealthy obsession people have?"
Schadenfreude Much?
"Love to hate."- Odd_Adhesiveness4804
Never Settle!
"Being in a relationship no matter the cost."- hibbletyjibblety
"Pointless relationships."
"Settling for less just because you think you can't be alone is not healthy."- shutyourmouf03
Aging Gracefully Always Pays Off
"People are obsessed with youth and some people will do anything to maintain its appearance."- Mad-farmer
There's So Much More Beyond Your TV Screen
"24 hour news cycles."- SuvenPan
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
"Having to be first."
"It's okay if you beat me to the pump, or if you beat me to the grocery checkout line."
"It's okay if you get to the freeway exit before me, or pull in front of me on the highway."
"I'm patient, and it's a virtue."
"Have to credit my father who taught me this."
"He was an airline captain for over 30 years who is a very patient man."
"Thanks Dad."- Look-At-The-Aliens
Humming Season 17 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphyThere Are So Many Better Ways To Be Social
"Obsession with their social media image."- knovit
Has No One Seen All About Eve?
"An obsession with everything celebrities are doing."- Streak_Free_Shine
There's A Reason Paid Vacation Days Exist!
"Work/productivity."
"Everybody needs a break, not just every once in a while, but often."- RoKe3028
To Each Their Own
"An obsession with each others lives."
"Seriously just let people live as long as they’re not hurting anyone just leave people the f*ck alone."- MiseinToxicity
"Other people's sex lives."- huiscloslaqueue
Worry About Yourself Saints And Sinners GIF by BounceGiphyIronically, Making Calls Is One The Last Things They're Used For Now...
"Their phones."
"It's one thing to keep yourself busy, it's another to never let yourself be bored."
"Being bored is important sometimes, it makes you think/helps clear your head.'
"Phones make it ridiculously easy to never let yourself get bored, to the point where it ain't healthy."- Crestego
"Being on their phone all the time, especially while driving."
"I see this literally every day, despite laws against it."
"I constantly have to honk at people sitting at green lights, because they can't possibly be inconvenienced with their own thoughts for 2 minutes sitting at a red light."- dallased25
Mistakes Are How People Learn...
"Being right all the time."- lee24k
Sheldon Cooper Rules GIF by CBSGiphyIt's very easy to scold or ridicule someone for being inordinately fond of someone or something.
However, before passing judgment, always a good idea to take a step back and examine our own behavior.
As we may be no different at all.
Redditor hotmomkaia asked:
"Men of Reddit! What are the advantages of dating an older woman?"
The Reddit community opened up about their dating experiences.
Randy
Olivia Wilde Reaction GIFGiphy"I've dated some older women who were frisky as hell."
uncultured_swine2099
"My girlfriend is only a few years older than me, but she is BY FAR the horniest I've been with."
Phantom579
Talk 2 Me
"The communication. An older woman that can communicate well will cut through the bulls**t and get straight to what she wants and expects. It’s refreshing as hell."
Fresh-Grab-8005
"Yeah agree. My GF and I are both in our late 50s. Had a long talk on the phone last night and spent some time talking about potential issues between us. Both of us have come out of long and not particularly pleasant marriages."
"We each have low maintenance adult kids. We both have our own places so we don't have to be in each other's space all the time. We are both financially secure so if we want to spend money on some together time then we just do it. I wouldn't have it any other way."
michaelrohansmith
Swoon
"Older women play less mind games than younger women do. They're more straight up, and often know what they want. The difference between an older woman flirting and a younger woman flirting, in my experience, is night and day."
"Younger woman flirting: 'Hey I like your hair, can I touch it?' Older women flirting: 'I am absolutely swooning over you. If I wasn't married, you'd be with me tonight.'"
-lighght-
Basics
"I've been with a few older women, I have also dated women of a closer age. In my personal experience I will say that older women communicate much more, don't have unrealistic standards, they have a lot more experience both in life and the bedroom. The biggest one of all is that older women are just super hot! Is there anything I've missed?"
MuscleMummy
Eat Up
dinner GIFGiphy"She knows where/what she wants to eat."
MalibK
"Right, but she still won’t tell you."
QuintShahkHuntah
The food argument has been the downfall of many a couple. Just pick a place!
She Knows
Growth Growing GIF by Insecure on HBOGiphy"Maturity. It’s night and day. Most older women actually have their lives together and don’t play the childish game of validation."
Cactus_Pear94
Back then...
"When I was 18 I dated a 28 year old for about a year. I wasn't a virgin, but my experience up until then was just awkward teenage sexual stuff. She taught me the value of the non-sex parts of a sexual relationship. How to listen and learn what your partner enjoys and how to communicate what you enjoy. She helped mature my views on relationships, foreplay and sex in ways that someone my age wouldn't have been able to."
Nythoren
Love It
"I’m not dating an older woman but I am in a sexual friendship with a 49 year old mom (we have an agreement that the sex will stop but the friendship will continue if either of us get in a serious relationship). She is extremely good at responding to text messages and being on time. She even apologized for being five minutes late one time. I love this about her because most people I know can’t freaking answer their phone."
beefstewforyou
Forever
"Depends what you are after but I found that there was less pressure of 'is this going to be long term' as you both have realistic expectations up front and know that will not change. Generally because of that, I found there was never any drama and just honest conversations. With one, she would actually talk about what sort of woman she saw me ending up with one day. No jealousy, just an understanding that we were enjoying each other's company for now."
Working_Turn_6625
Helping Me
archivesontario yes GIF by Archives of Ontario | Archives publiques de l'OntarioGiphy"I'm not dating an older woman, mainly because I'm married to one."
"She is 5 years older than me, but it sometimes seems like a much bigger gap when you account for maturity level."
"She's actually helped me do a better job of understanding and managing my emotions, which is nice."
Issueless
"Perhaps more confidence, steadiness, realism, honesty to themselves and others, fewer illusions and less sensitivity to influence. All just generalisations from my own experience. I don't have mommy issues or anything but I feel more comfortable and equal with slightly older women. I know myself pretty well, I'm pretty independent and I'm not being pushed either."
collective_artifice
Love who you love.
Age is only a number.
Do you have any experiences or lessons to share? Let us know in the comments below.