Insomnia

[d000hg]

As eluded, sleep developed as part of an evolutionary process and the exact mechanics are unknown

That makes climate science look positively cast-iron in comparison!

You can't just throw in the phrase "evolutionary process" and think it adds weight... reminds me of Rob McKenna in HitchHiker's Guide:

``I'm afraid I can't comment on the name Rain God at this present time, and we are calling him an example of a Spontaneous Para-Causal Meteorological Phenomenon.''

``Can you tell us what that means?''

``I'm not altogether sure. Let's be straight here. If we find something we can't understand we like to call it something you can't understand, or indeed pronounce. I mean if we just let you go around calling him a Rain God, then that suggests that you know something we don't, and I'm afraid we couldn't have that.

``No, first we have to call it something which says it's ours, not yours, then we set about finding some way of proving it's not what you said it is, but something we say it is.

``And if it turns out that you're right, you'll still be wrong, because we will simply call him a ... er `Supernormal ...' --- not paranormal or supernatural because you think you know what those mean now, no, a `Supernormal Incremental Precipitation Inducer'. We'll probably want to shove a `Quasi' in there somewhere to protect ourselves.

[original PM]

just have a pot nooodle - that releases the relevant chemicals to help you sleep

(as I am sure any woman will testify)

[oscarose]

That makes climate science look positively cast-iron in comparison!

You can't just throw in the phrase "evolutionary process" and think it adds weight... reminds me of Rob McKenna in HitchHiker's Guide:

You seem to be touchy about evolution. Obviously, the ‘why’ and ‘how’ are different questions.

[d000hg]

Not at all. I'm saying that you seem to think saying "it evolved that way" is an answer... the whole point is that every single part of every single living creature evolved that way, so your answer was devoid of information but trying to sound like you knew something.

Your answer doesn't respond to either 'how' OR 'why'. It's a big fat 'I don't have a bloody clue' but you were too proud to say that.

[EternalOptimist]

In a nutshell, based on your experiences during the day, sleep is required for the brain to update and to recharge essential organs in the body – part of evolution.

Why cant that happen if you relax on a couch wide awake ?

no, there is something else going on. something so bleeding obvious, that no one has ever thought of it

[d000hg]

Looking at wiki, it sounds like we really do know very little about sleep, which is frankly astonishing considering how much it has been studied:

The multiple theories proposed to explain the function of sleep reflect the as-yet incomplete understanding of the subject. (When asked, after 50 years of research, what he knew about the reason people sleep William Dement, founder of Stanford University's Sleep Research Center, answered, "As far as I know, the only reason we need to sleep that is really, really solid is because we get sleepy."

It's kind of nice to know there are still such big areas to understand.

[oscarose]

Not at all. I'm saying that you seem to think saying "it evolved that way" is an answer... the whole point is that every single part of every single living creature evolved that way, so your answer was devoid of information but trying to sound like you knew something.

Your answer doesn't respond to either 'how' OR 'why'. It's a big fat 'I don't have a bloody clue' but you were too proud to say that.

I don't have a clue.

Looking at wiki, it sounds like we really do know very little about sleep, which is frankly astonishing considering how much it has been studied:It's kind of nice to know there are still such big areas to understand.

Agreed.

[d000hg]

I don't have a clue.

OK, bitch over

[shaunbhoy]

OK, bitch over

If only.

[oscarose]

OK, bitch over

No problem.