“One of the symptoms of prolonged sleep deprivation is hallucinations. This could also be related to the I-function since it is the system that integrates the input from all other areas of the brain. If the neurons composing the I-function become too taxed then the picture in the head that the I-function produces may be more dissimilar from reality than usual. The neurons, under pressure to continue functioning but unable to perform optimally, create an image useful enough for a person to see most of his or her surroundings. Metabolic activity in the prefrontal cortex can drop as much as eleven percent after a person has missed sleep for only twenty four hours. As a person loses more sleep or continues to receive less-than-adequate amounts of sleep the neurons become even more taxed and the I-function may begin to generate even less coherent images possibly resulting in temporary insanity.” from The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior

I’ve been working some late nights lately getting ready for my Midpoint review for my MFA project, and trying not to fall behind at work also. Whenever I do this it seems like the later it gets, the harder time staying on task, and ultimately I end up spending 20 minutes or so reading about sleep deprivation.