Microsleep

A microsleep is an episode of sleep which may last for a fraction of a second or up to thirty seconds. It often occurs as a result of sleep deprivation, or mental fatigue or sleep apnea. Microsleeps can occur at any time, typically without significant warning. In the middle of even lively conversations, the onset of a microsleep episode can cause sufferers to ’suddenly’ lose the thread of a conversation.

Microsleeps becomes extremely dangerous when it occurs while driving or operation of heavy machinery. For example, a microsleep episode is claimed to have been one factor contributing to the Waterfall train disaster in 2003; the driver had a heart attack and the guard who should have reacted to the train’s increasing speed is said by his defender to have microslept. People who experience microsleeps usually remain unaware of them, instead believing themselves to have been awake the whole time, or feeling a sensation of ’spacing out’. One example is called “gap driving”: from the perspective of the driver, he or she was driving a car, and then suddenly realizes that several seconds have passed by unnoticed.

Bear in mind that microsleep is a result of sleep deprivation, and you have to work to cure the root of your problem. Be it sleep apnea or insomnia, the solution awaits you on this site. Check out the other sections to find out how you can improve the quality of your sleep, tonight!