Study group discussion: Fatal familial insomnia, harmful effects of working at night and sleeping during the day

By the way, I saw a video on a very bad disease the other day - Fatal familial insomnia. Caused by prions just like Creutzfeldt Jacob disease.

I know about the disease.. I can't imagine not being able to sleep!

Has a late onset and the patient or rather I say victim does within a few weeks.
It's genetic.. Thalamus, sleep centre is damaged!
Therefore no sleep!
It's progressive, one falls into coma and finally death!
They basically sleep to die!

You can live without sleep for 5 days to a week, I suppose.

I had heard in physiology too.. That mice die if they are awakened before REM sleep chronically.

Even humans have reduced life span if they sleep for less than 4 hrs chronically.

Yes, I had heard someone who survived 2 weeks. He slept for only 4 hours per day

Why would anyone do that to themselves?

Workaholics.
Medical students!
Perfectionists.
Preparing for exams xD
We awesomites!

I sleep more than I should #vacations :P

That is also harmful.

How? =(
I get rebound insomnia though.

Read it in some article.

Ah.

6 to 7 hrs optimum.

Work hard. Sleep tighter.

Btw are there any harmful effects of working at night and sleeping during the day chronically?
I don't know and someone wanted to know!

Something related to messing up the circadian cycle? Because we have a diurnal surge of hormones?

Since all hormones are secreted at night and not sleeping at night disturbs the proper hormonal process... That's the reason people who don't sleep at night are also fat...

So they'd grow fat, that's it?

Anti aging 2, remember?
Serotonin mostly secreted from 11 p.m to 2 a.m and sleep during these is essential!

I found what I was looking for: Symptoms much like jet lag are common in people who work nights or who perform shift work. Because these people's work schedules are at odds with powerful sleep-regulating cues like sunlight, they often become uncontrollably drowsy during work, and they may suffer insomnia or other problems when they try to sleep. Shift workers have an increased risk of heart problems, digestive disturbances, and emotional and mental problems, all of which may be related to their sleeping problems. The number and severity of workplace accidents also tend to increase during the night shift. Major industrial accidents attributed partly to errors made by fatigued night-shift workers include the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear power plant accidents. One study also found that medical interns working on the night shift are twice as likely as others to misinterpret hospital test records, which could endanger their patients. It may be possible to reduce shift-related fatigue by using bright lights in the workplace, minimizing shift changes, and taking scheduled naps.

IkaN, goodjob!

Makes sense.

Is there any treatment for insomnia, if it's familial?

I don't think there is a treatment.. Since your thalamus is damaged, no pharmacotherapy can help you.
It's like in the thalamic pain syndrome, no amount of pain killers can help you!

So true! :(