Sleep is not optional. After a long enough period of being awake, our brain starts to produce signals that we are tired. As these signals increase in strength, our brain becomes impaired. We all know what it’s like to feel tired to the point of exhaustion. We are less aware, unfocused, and more likely to have accidents. If we become too exhausted, we may even fall asleep on the spot. And when we chronically don’t get enough sleep, our health will suffer. While most of the mechanisms of sleep remain a mystery to science, it’s common knowledge that everyone needs to get some shuteye, and we need to do it on a regular basis.
Well, almost everyone.
Very rarely, cases are found of people who stop needing to sleep. One peculiar case was that of a Hungarian soldier named Paul Kern. He fought during the First World War and was hit in the head by a Russian bullet. The bullet penetrated the frontal lobe of his brain, but Paul miraculously survived. He woke up in a hospital in Budapest, and from that moment on, Paul never slept again.
Over the course of his life, many doctors examined Paul in an attempt to find the cause of his condition. However, in spite of having numerous x-ray examinations of his skull and brain, the exact cause of his condition was never fully explained. Even more incredibly, Paul did not exhibit any of the signs that are commonly present among people who suffer from insomnia. He was alert and aware, and his only complaint following the injury was the occasional headache. Paul went on to live without sleep for forty years following his injury, and when he finally died, it was of natural causes.
To this day, what happened in Paul’s brain remains a total mystery. It highlights how little we know about the human brain and its inner workings. Some believe that the bullet ripped through the part of his brain that needed sleep. Others say that despite his claims to never sleep a wink, he might have been unaware of falling asleep for mere seconds multiple times a day. While others have made claims of not needing sleep, Kern’s was the first and only case that was extensively studied. The jury is still out on what if anything was different about Kern’s brain, but perhaps one day, the secret will be uncovered, freeing us all to live an extra eight hours a day.
References:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31059591
We all need to sleep. After a long time without it, our brain becomes impaired. We all know what it’s like to feel tired. We are less aware and more likely to have accidents. If we become too tired, we may even fall asleep on the spot. And our health will suffer. Why we need sleep is a mystery, but it’s common knowledge that everyone needs to get some shuteye. And, we need to do it on a regular basis.
Well, almost everyone.
Very rarely, cases are found of people who stop needing to sleep. One case was that of a Hungarian soldier named Paul Kern. He fought during the First World War and was hit in the head by a Russian bullet. The bullet entered the front part of his brain, but Paul survived. He woke up in a hospital in Budapest, and from that moment on, Paul never slept again.
Over the course of his life, many doctors looked at Paul. He had many x-rays of his brain, but the cause of his problem was never explained. Paul’s health did not seem to suffer. He was alert and aware. His only problem was the occasional headache. Paul lived without sleep for forty years. When he finally died, it was of natural causes.
To this day, what happened in Paul’s brain remains a mystery. It shows how little we know about the human brain. Some believe that the bullet removed the part of his brain that needed sleep. Others say that even though he said he never slept a wink, he might have fallen asleep for seconds multiple times a day. Kern was the first and only case that was closely studied. The jury is still out on what if anything was different about Kern’s brain. Perhaps one day, the secret will be uncovered, freeing us all to live an extra eight hours a day.
References:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31059591
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