There is this thing...

[bladespark]

...that used to happen to me a lot when I was sleep deprived, (which I was a lot in high school, because I stayed up late reading but then got up early for school.) It happened again today, not because I haven't been sleeping, but because my glands betray me, and have decided that 12 hours is "enough" sleep, and that if I get less than that they will insist I'm sleep deprived.

Anyhow, I want to know if this happens to anybody else.

Symptoms:

Firstly, I feel light headed. But not "I"m going to faint" light headed, it's a lot more like the floaty, disconnected feeling of being on nitrous at the dentist's, or a little bit like whatever super-mondo painkiller they gave me when I got hit by the crazy cyclist and had a goosegg of doom. It's very surreal feeling.

Surreal also describes the other major symptom, which is that my brain distorts visual data. My eyes are working just fine, and with a heroic effort of concentration I can get things to look more or less normal in the middle, but around the edges it refuses to cooperate. I can read just fine while this is going on, in fact it's going on right now and I'm typing away here, and proof-reading as I go. The effects are actually least noticable on text, I think because it's on a flat surface, and depth is what the effect screws with the most. It's not a "seeing things that aren't there" distortion, it's more of a "things look mis-proportioned" distortion. In particular it tends to mess with my sense of depth perception, that is a nearby object will suddenly be percieved as being very far away. But since I can see that it's still the same size, in addition to percieving and processing it as very far away, it also gets processed as being very huge! Or the reverse will happen, a far off item will seem to be very close, and very small. Sometimes something will go both ways at once, like somebody's body seeming small and close, while their head looks far and gigantic.

It's just bizarre, and surreal, and reminds me of some of the descriptions I've read of being on hallucinogens, except of course that I'm not "on" anything, it's just my mind, acting strangely.

Anybody else get anything like it?

Comments

[graydown.livejournal.com]

I'm doing that selfsame thing right now, actually. ^_^ It's a lot like being drunk, but with less euphoria. Driving home was fun. I always figured that the weird depth perception thing was the muscles in my eyes getting tired. I'd have deeper thoughts, but I've been up for 21 hrs. @_@

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm not alone!

I've never been drunk, so I wouldn't know that.

I've done the same

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

I have had drug (all prescription or over the counter not intentionally trying to get high) and alcohol highs, and they aren't anything different than the highs you get (*snicker* high on life BS) and I get the same stuff when I am sick, hungry, thirsty, sleep deprived, whatever. I think until you start hitting the heavier stuff, most drugs resemble normal body states.

IMO, When you take really scary potent drugs, you just get sensations that are more intense, ie closer to death and/or ectasy, or only sensations that those with abnormal brain chemistry have experienced. A lot of drugs seem to resemble dream states as far as hallucinations go.

being drunk sucks, don't bother. :D I hate the feeling of being tired or out of control or out of contact with my body, the "ballon head" syndrome of cold medicines drives me nuts.

??

[kira-blue-drago.livejournal.com]

Are you eating healthy? Getting any exercise? I know your costume making involves lots a of sitting and sewing. Its very backwards of course but the less you do physically the more tired you get, if you're not I would suggest doing some light exercise everyday, just a suggestion. Hope you feel better

[eisenhart.livejournal.com]

Those symptoms you described can be caused by inter-cranial pressure A) reducing the oxygen flow to your brain (causing the dizziness and light-headedness) and B) putting pressure on your ocular nerve, and possibly even the eyeball itself.

But unless you have meningitis or have recently sustained a brick to the head, that's very unlikely. Also, cerebra-spinal fluid would be leaking out your ears like beer from a tap.

[jtbeckett.livejournal.com]

i always get that way when i'm sleep deprived... and I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and two small children... so yeah... happens a lot.

[sphix.livejournal.com]

I've had something like that, though not as severe... Mostly just like a thin layer of colorful static in front of my eyes. But it messes with my depth perception slightly, too. Meaning it sucks to drive :P

[springmoone.livejournal.com]

It sounds like what happens whenever I get a major panic episode, but you're obviously not freaking out all over the place, so thas' okay.