Art by smbc-comics
Consciousness is often said to disappear in deep, dreamless sleep. We argue that this assumption is oversimplified. Unless dreamless sleep is defined as unconscious from the outset there are good empirical and theoretical reasons for saying that a range of different types of sleep experience, some of which are distinct from dreaming, can occur in all stages of sleep.
Pubmed Articles
Does Consciousness Disappear in Dreamless Sleep?
Sciencealert Article We Were Wrong About Consciousness Disappearing in Dreamless Sleep, Say Scientists
LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 9 months ago
Sleep is NOTHING like death. You're still experiencing lots of stuff, you still very much have a sense of self, you're still thinking things, your brain is still processing lots of information.
General anesthesia - now THAT is a real close period to what being dead is.
Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 9 months ago
You sound a lot like a guy who isn’t dead. Not sure if I should trust your opinion.
Lorindol@sopuli.xyz 9 months ago
I’ve had general anesthesia, it was just like falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
If death is like that, then there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
TrustingZebra@lemmy.one 9 months ago
It’s not sleeping I’m worried about, it’s not waking up.
Vigge93@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Probably is. If they gave you a little too much anesthesia so you didn’t wake up, you would probably drift off the same, and then just not wake up.
BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 9 months ago
For me when I had anesthesia I quickly closed my eyes with the surgeon talking, when I opened my eyes the surgeon was still talking so I was wondering when the surgery would start.
Of course when I opened my eyes it was 5 hours later and after the surgery but it took me a while to realized that.
IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social 9 months ago
Except the agonizing pain that precedes death
SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 9 months ago
What if anesthesia actually just blocks your memories and physical reactions, but you actually experience everything that happens to you in absolute terror?
Croquette@sh.itjust.works 9 months ago
I think that most people aren’t afraid of death itself. It’s more the suffering to get there.
zeppo@lemmy.world 9 months ago
What’s hard for me to accept is the idea of never waking up. It seems like it has to end sometime.
PixxlMan@lemmy.world 9 months ago
I’m genuinely surprised that the idea that something bad might happen to you when you’re dead or that it could be painful etc is anywhere near as prevalent as it is. To me, that makes absolutely no sense. Of course dying might be painful… But death? Once you brain no longer works? Feels obvious to me that you won’t feel, well, anything. The thing that frightens me about death wouldn’t be the experience of being dead, but rather not being able to do any more things and not existing anymore.
Kodemystic@lemmy.kodemystic.dev 9 months ago
But isn’t there a fear anyway? Because its forever. Also not seeing loved ones ever again. Not enjoying the nice things ever again.
Anamnesis@lemmy.world 9 months ago
When I’m asleep I’m not experiencing shit. Close eyes, moment of black, awake again the next day.
grozzle@lemmy.world 9 months ago
This is not the normal human experience. Check if you’re a robot?
samus12345@lemmy.world 9 months ago
You just don’t remember your dreams.
newIdentity@sh.itjust.works 9 months ago
Well except Ketamine and some other substances that are used in anesthesia.
LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 9 months ago
That's not general anesthesia, that's like twilight anesthesia or some other term like that.
Kodemystic@lemmy.kodemystic.dev 9 months ago
Coma?