Originally Posted by
Niles H.
Respectful disagreement on the no-sleep individuals. There are apparently rare people who need no sleep. I'm pretty sure a good search of the medical and sleep-research literature would confirm this.
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There is also a movement in meditation circles (more widely known and practiced in India) that is sometimes called 'conscious sleep.'
People who learn how to do this no longer sleep in the way we know sleep.
They are aware even while sleeping.
They don't lose touch with awareness. There is no lapsing into unconsciousness.
Their minds relax deeply, and they no longer verbalize, intellectualize, think about, or conceptualize things. There is no loss of awareness, though.
They talk about paying special attention to the transition phase (where the waking state actually transitions into sleep), and about learning to stay 'awake' or alert through that phase.
From the descriptions I have seen, it sounds like something that can be learned with a little practice and close attention to details.
Since one does not lose contact with awareness, it is not exactly 'sleep' as most people know it.
You really should get into Randonneuring. First, it would take up the time you seem to have on your hands. Second, you'd really get in touch with aspects of yourself you never knew existed. You'd push yourself to and beyond physical and mental limits. And you'd experience something of what you just described. However, don't be surprised at what crawls out of the ditches and grabs at your wheels in the night.
