Pretty straightforward, assume there are no negative repercussions for your health regardless of which option you choose.
Edit: So I imagined this as a scenario where the whole world is given the choice, probably should have included that bit. Still works if it’s only you that is given the option though.
Half of us sleeping while the other half is working. I like it, cuts bedding costs.
Done it. Trucking job we had 3 to a hotel room and the trucks moved 24/7.
Half the time, the bed was still warm after the shift. Truck always full of someone else's farts and cheetos.
That’s called hot-bunking (because the bed is always hot) and it’s what they do on submarines.
That’s not all they do on submarines…
Twister?
Hide the pickle
That was my uncle's favorite game.
You knew Uncle Touchy or was it Uncle Feely?
Uncles’
Better than "team driving" where you share bunk bed in the truck for 15,000+ miles at a time.
Imagine sleeping in someone else's bed that they just slept in for 3 months straight. Nasty.
I was thinking winter lol
Probably depends on where you're from
Well that's a good thing I guess, people like me who hate the heat can sleep through the hot months while people like you who hate the cold sleep for the cold months. We each keep the world running and take care of business while the other is sleeping.
Absolutely. Sign me up. You're also sleeping only 1/4 of the year vs 1/3 that you should be sleeping, so you get more waking hours out of the deal. Win win.
Who's this guy sleeping 8 hours a day? I average 5-6
I was thinking the same thing. I have been out of the country for a few weeks and landing in an hour. I keep getting heat advisories. Waking up in September would be awesome.
Perhaps when September ends?
Okay by me, Billy Joe.
The word you want is ‘Aestivation’
I'm in Southern Louisiana, trust me when I say I feel your pain. Hibernating for the summer would be wonderful though somewhat concerning considering if a hurricane comes during that time I'd possibly be killed in my sleep..
I'll take july-september. ( TX). Wake up in time to prep for the holidays! 👻 🦃 🎁
Assuming I could figure out the job situation, etc, yeah, that'd be a sweet deal.
Hibernation leave would have to be written into laws/contracts.
Absolutely. I’m sleeping from Jan-Mar and avoiding the seasonal depression. Then I can be way more productive during waking days and have more time to relax & do hobbies too…
Definitely downsides like missing the moments during the hibernation, but esp where I live nothing really happens during that time.
Better if I could 1/2 during dead of winter and 1/2 during dead of summer - it’s gets over 100 heat index for a few months straight in Tennessee.
Yes but I would have to carefully select my job to be able to do this. The job I'm at currently wouldn't allow it. But I bet I could find a job where this is a huge asset and do really well
Probably some sort of work from home, independent contractor work paid by amount of work done, with a big bonus for the top performer would do it
No because I'd be so fucking bored without my time machine of sleep to get me to the morning. There's only so much reddit and shitty phone games a man can play in a day.
Real
Yeah what would I do with all that time in the night. Assuming my family will be sleeping, I’d have to stay quiet and bored all night.
Exercise maybe?
24 hour gym. 2am workouts would be interesting.
Sleep through winter, get an extended summer? Sign me up
Would also pick winter. Fuck seasonal depression, I'm going bear mode.
I would sleep through summer, hate summer
I work in a gym with no air conditioning, occasionally for 12 hours, in Virginia. I’m picking summer to sleep through. Let my clients have at it on their own for a few months
At long as those months are summer I’m down.
That’d be Aestivation
Practically the same thing 😂😂😂
Okay, I wouldn't need to sleep, but could I still take naps?
Yeah if you wanted to sleep or take a nap to have a dream or what not you could, it just wouldn’t be necessary for your body or make you anymore awake after
No thanks. I can't imagine what I would do at 4 am. I couldn't even see to use my walker
Aestivation for me, please. I hate the heat.
I hate the cold and darkness, but I wouldn’t want to sleep through Christmas so I would go with sleeping Jan-Mar and wake up just in time to be able to do outdoor stuff.
Similar thoughts. I don't want to miss summer but I like christmas and snowboarding. I'd probably sleep through Feb, March, and April.
In the southern hemisphere, winter starts in June.
That’s a very good point. I could pass out on Jan 1st after a new years party and wake up on April fools day
Move to Australia, then you can sleep through winter from June to August.
What would I do alone at night? Kind of pointless to be the only person who can do it
That’s a good point, I kind of imagined it as an option for everyone
Oh for sure. I fucking hate summer and I hate needing to sleep given sleeping disorder issues. Totally down for this
Aestivation for you!
I'd sleep through summer.
I have more of a "winter bod" anyway.
Yes!
Yeah I'd cut out June through August, I get depressed in the summer and rejuvenated in the fall. Winter is nice but spring is pretty rough. Idk either spring or summer, I can't decide
Interesting, almost everyone else would give up the winter
The part that I find weird is the "seasonal" depression in the summer. I get not liking it, but I've never met anyone that got summer based seasonal depression.
Yeah that’s what stood out to me too!
That’s Aestivation
Yes all winter like a bear in Ohio
Absolutely, I could be “infinitely” more productive and also get more time to relax without the guilt of my health taking a hit if I neglect the basic human function that is proper sleep
If employment wasn't a sticking point. I would take this deal. I have little use for Jan/Feb/Mar. At work or home. I gain weight. And watch TV. Would gladly trade my sleep cycle if I coulf
OP has said in other comments that they sort of imagined that if you take the deal, it effects everyone, so society would simply adjust to the new reality of this hibernation. I do hope people can select when to sleep, or at least if it's not a choice then not everyone sleeps at the same time. I don't think we could survive that, three months of no maintenance on stuff will have it breaking down very quickly.
No, that sounds hellish. The days and nights would all blur into one endless day and you'd completely lose touch with the normal passage of time. I had enough of that during lockdown
No. I have a family and wouldn’t want to miss 3 months of their lives.
I guess the assumption is they can all do it too?
Yeah families could definitely be synchronized
An interesting side effect would be the new job of "Family Caretaker".
If your whole household is asleep, you're gonna have to hire someone to come take care of all for your stuff for you while you and your family are sleeping.
Yeah this scenario would create whole new industries around stuff like that.
In a heartbeat. Let me skip the long dark of Jan, Feb, and March, where there's pretty much nothing to look forward to, and give me the early spring through to Christmas.
Nope
I have cats to take care of and I need periodic breaks from pain/life. I don't even know if I could bring myself to wake up after I've been out for a few months. The screw it why would I go back to pain/stress might end up being too strong.
Yessss
Yes. Fuck summer
That’s Aestivation, not Hibernation
Three consecutive months, or could I switch on and off each week?
Otherwise, no. I'm a parent of small children.
I feel like it has to be consecutive
Fair enough! I couldn't think of a way this could be practical to me.
Your question reminded me of this. Essentially the same concept, three months of sleep, but they wake every 15-20 hours to eat before passing out again. It really ruins their lives - they can't go to school or hold jobs, and the irregular sleep behaviours do a number to your brain.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/kleine-levin-syndrome-meet-the-human-hibernators
I just learned about this syndrome from a podcast the other day! I think it was Radiolab
If I can hibernate June, July, August, then yes. Absolutely.
However, if I must hibernate over winter then no.
Aestivation is summer.
Cool. Thanks.
No hibernation for me then. Aestivation only.
Ah, didn’t know there was a different word for that but it makes sense!
Sleeping for 25% of the year instead of 33% of every day (plus without the need to get ready for and up from bed everyday) seems like a straight forward win.
Can I pick the months?
Yes, they just have to be consecutive
Cool then yes I’ll take December, January, and February. If I never have to deal with Christmas ever again I’ll be better for it!
Easily
Absolutely
Hell yes
Can I do this and just sleep normally the rest of the time?
Skipping the fall and go straight from late summer to early winter sounds amazing
Yeah, the sleep wouldn’t make you feel more rested, but you could!
I'm not a fan of winter anyway.
Can I hibernate and then still sleep every night after? That sounds like heaven.
Would I sleep at home or in some kind of magical facility? I'm assuming the choice is made my parents for their kids too?
Yeah kids would do whatever their parents did, although this would probably make divorce even more contested and complicated!
Ok so there's a couple of things about this that complicated what happens if it gets really cold and I'm not awake to warm the house do I die? If not I might try the sleep three months option from jan-mar but the baby not sleeping might be a massive down side, when do I get a break?
I'd hire a caretaker for my sleeping family. Someone I trust to take care of stuff like my AC breaking down (I'd be a summer sleeper), to collect my mail, and to keep my lawn mowed while I'm out.
No. Not in a million years.
Yes, I'd cut out winter every year
No I wouldn't do it because who wants to be up for 24 hours a day for 9 months I like getting ready for bed
I like sleep
Can I do both?
Yeah you just wouldn’t get any extra benefit other than the enjoyment of dreams and being asleep
I don't know if I'd want to go 9 months without sleeping I enjoy sleeping
Hell no! Sleep is the best part of my day.
Fuck yes.
Oh fuck yeah. This would make my life sooooo much better in an incalculably good way.
We're suppose to sleep 8hrs a day. There's only 24hrs in a day. Meaning that we sleep 1/3rd of the day.
Using 1/3 we can multiply that by 12 representing the number of months we have in a year. That value gives us 4 months.
So would I choose to hibernate for 3 months? Absolutely!! Then I'll get one extra month of ME time
Yeah I figured I wouldn’t make it an even split to make it more interesting
Can I hibernate for 3 years and then never have to sleep again ever??
Can I just go back to hibernation when I wake up and feed if I feel like it?
It seems like bucking evolution might have significant downsides.
Sleep aids cognition. It helps you work through puzzles and problems and make sense of them. It helps your body repair itself. I definitely would not take that deal in exchange for more awake time.
Part of the deal is that those issues are waived, so there’s no downside to your body or cognition
Nah sleep is the only time of the day I can actually relax
That's a long time to be lying around unsecure and helpless. How about sleeping 12 hours out of every 48? That's roughly the same breakdown between asleep and awake, but you're not out for three solid months.
I would take this deal even if I did still need to sleep normally. I just love being asleep
That sounds just nightmarish! I'd hate losing so much time in my life, just blacking out for 3 months. Plus, I love every season of the year so almost fully missing out on one seems terrible.
I'm not productive enough to make sure of all the time I would have awake. Plus, going to sleep is like a wonderful mental reset at the end of each day.
That’s essentially the equivalent of sleeping 6 hours per day. I see no advantage in missing 3 months to be fully awake for 9. Nothing would be gained, so I would not do it.
If I could sleep for 1 month, and stay awake for 11, I’d probably do that.
I would hibernate for a whole year
Ew, no. I love sleeping and I want to do it every day.
abso-fucking-lutely, my biggest problem over the summer is killing time while waiting for school to start (also money, but I make most of it over april/may anyways), if I could sleep through june/july/august and wake up ready for school in september it'd save me so much time, plus if I didn't need to sleep anyways I could work nights and make up for lost money during hibernation, I honestly don't see the downside
Yee
You people are really underestimating the need for the night and day cycle. Your brain processes a lot of information while you're sleep and not to mention regulates your mood. Just because you don't need sleep doesn't mean you wouldn't be begging to go back to a normal sleep cycle after one week. Most people would go insane if they were awake for 9 months straight.
Yes. Sleep for a quarter of my life instead of a third? Count me in.
As long as it isn't three consecutive months. Sleep through January, then October and November.
I’d choose to hibernate for 3 months even if I needed a solid 10 hours every other night. I love sleeping.
In this scenario, can I sleep even though I don't physically need to?
But yes, I probably would either way. I love the nights and the tranquility of them and would love to be able to wake all night doing shit. Usually you would need amphetamine for that
Yes you can definitely still sleep if you want, it’s just not necessary
Then sign me the fuck up!
No, I also imagine that first pee after waking up 3 months later would last a week.
Didn’t think about this! Suddenly thinking about Austin Powers for the first time in probably two decades😂
Nope. Tempting to avoid the summer heat, but Rugby's offseason's only one month, 2 tops.
no because i also have a job and bills to pay, crashing on my bed after a long day is also a GLORIOUS feeling I would hate just laying there unable to sleep
No, because there's nothing to do at 3am. What would I do with the time?
Learn a new trade, study and become an expert in whatever topics interest you, pick up new skills like an instrument, work an overnight job, get to all the stuff you want to do but have been putting off, etc.
I sleep off anxiety attacks once I'm tired enough. No, this would suck.
I’d rather hibernate for 12 months.
Nope. Easiest choice for me.
The world revolves around a wake sleep cycle and I would miss out on 3 months of time with my kids so I can watch them sleep at night? No thanks.
Yeah I kind of thought of it as a scenario where everyone got to make the choice..so your whole family would probably be on the same schedule.
Ahh ok fair. But also, momma needs a break from crazy kids sometimes too lol.
I'd absolutely take that deal assuming I can clear it with my job. I'd skip jan-march and wake up to beautiful warm weather
Fuck no.
Sleep is the only time my brain shuts off.
9 months without any downtime would drive me insane
Absolutely as long as my family is on the same schedule as me.
Yeah I imagine that’s how most families would do it, although it might make divorce even more shitty trying to figure it out.
I will gladly skip the bad winter months. Jan- March. That would be amazing.
Yes, in the scenario where the world was set up to accommodate this without reduction of other waking holidays/vacation.
In the Midwest USA I'd gladly sleep June-August, but would obviously want family on the same cycle and work/school to support it.
Be even better if the 3 months didn't need to be consecutive. Then I'd probably do February, July, August.
Will miss the Super Bowl and some Six Nations rugby but can catch up on March 1st.
Imagine going into hibernation in February 2020
That would be wild!
Could I do it four times?
Yes, full stop. Winters in Canada can get long and dreary. If I could hybernate From Nov - Jan, sign me up.
No. Going to sleep is the one thing I look forward to every day.
I live in a place with winter and I struggle through winter. I'd gladly sleep away three cold, dreary months
That's a win-win. I hate winter anyway.
if you sleep 8 hours a day you gain one month of awake time, with my sleeping hours I won't gain a lot of extra time. So no thanks, I'll spread those 3 months evenly over the year so I can enjoy each season.
No, a single week goes by in my country without some bizarre shit going on, can´t imagine what 3 months would be like
Turn off your phone and youll realize no bizarre shit is really going on at all
Not ever the neighbours exploding gas tanks in the backyard? The bank robbery or kidnapping and murder around the block? Must be nice to live in a safe neighbourhood
Yes, you would genuinely never know about these things
You do realize that if someone doesn' t show up for too long people will definitely break into their homes? To steal shit and such, the only way any of this works is if you live in some very specific countries, regardless of my health not being afected from the hibernation people can still kill you in your sleep ( or worse)
Sure then choose the other option
Deep concerns about this, too. You'd have to team up with someone you absolutely trust with your life. If you have enemies, what do they do with the information about you being incapacitated for three consecutive months? Or you live on a gap between tectonic plates, or tornado alley, etc. Can you be absolutely sure that they would drag your unconscious body to safety?
I think it was Jared Leto (otherwise it wouldn't have made the news) was in meditation retreat when covid lockdown happened. So when it finished and everyone was leaving they all got the news covid went from a few cases to a pandemic.
The Big Brother house in the UK, I think it was, was going on when covid was a thing. At one point Big Brother was like ‘Soooooo… there’s this thing going on…’
No, I’m bored enough with life as it is, sleep is the fastest way to get me to the next day
Yes.
Sleeping thru June, July and August sounds amazing with this Texas heat.