i did a sleep study for nasa once.. and i was in a sleep chamber for 12 days. the study was to determine how long the astronauts could be awake and still function.

twice, i had to stay awake for 56 hours straight. One of the two sessions i had to sit for 1/2 ... stand for 1/2.... sit... stand .. for 56 hours. the second session i had to stay in a bed at a certain angle..

Anyway, what i learned is that once you get past 24 hours of non sleep.. you get in a werid state of mind.. and you get over being tired. its interesting.

but, also, .. i did pretty much verbally attack one of the Techs who told me that I had to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. i told him if he came one step closer i was going to shove it down his throat. so... yes.. personality can change after lack of sleep.

maybe you need a caffeine taco!?

Having experienced both, all I can say is that I would MUCH rather have physical exhaustion than mental. I love the feeling of working out a ton and being totally wiped out. Nothing better... sleep like a baby. Mental is much tougher - it makes you physically exhausted AND depressed (well, if you're exhausted from divorce lol).

Interesting about the NASA study Jenny....

I knocked myself out and passed out until the next day....I was sober but, with severe stress...true story.

hahaha Jenny,

I'm wondering how many more interesting stories you have to tell?

RDude,

ZXJ is right, at some point the mind and body are going to need to detoxify, thats usually when you get sick, and find yourself flat on your back emotionally or physically.

I know I've been amazed at your tenacity, stamina and resilience so far, so you're already an Iron Giant in my book. I know in my last relationship when I was riding the edge a few times I kept thinking "I'm tough, I can take it, I can make it".

Its not until a couple years out of it did I realize that's healthy thinking if I'm in a marathon, not so much in a miserable relationship.

You're tough dude. You can endure a LOT. At some point, you can relax and stop taking it, yanno?

((huggin your Atlas-shoulders)

oh yeah.. and did i mention that i had 37 electrodes (sp?) on my head? and heart monitor as well? yeah.. it was grrrrrrrrrrreeaattt

sorta like getting foils, right? only over 56 hours?

Stress of any kind can cause harm on the physical body as well as mentally..

Last year I was under more stress than I could handle and my body went on attack...Dx'ed with two more autoimmune diseases..

Now my stress level is not too high but it is starting to get worse..So, I have to be very, very careful for the next month or two or until all of this divorce crap is over..

it's when both collide that you have a nervous breakdown, or call your family crying and beg them to come visit, like I did.. surround yourself with supportive people and do something proactive to change your situation. For me it was going to a lawyer and taking some control back. Not sure what it would be for you, but you will hit a point where it will feel better to change things than any fear that is holding you back.

But when you have your breakdown, call me and I will hit I95 with a cheese steak wit' whiz. Sorry, can't do provolone, Bmore.. I just can't. :P

@Faithful: Quick aside: since you brought up the movie "Castaway", any ideas on where the hell Helen Hunt's husband was when Tom Hanks showed up, unannounced, at her front door at the end? Was he upstairs? Away on business? (a favorite writer of mine has brought that up in the past)....

As for how much the human body can take? Well, I think everyone has different thresholds. I'm not too sure I could keep up with your work schedule, to be honest, and still do things that I want to do in my life. I have no idea how you are able to keep it together, with your work schedule.

Mental exhaustion stinks....big time. I'll take physical over it any day of the week. And then there's just sleep deprivation. I had it chronically for years, and it was no fun, but managable. Someday I hope to be out of school, and out of this state of constant mental exhaustion. It feels like I push one fact in, and another falls out.

Ah well, I'm almost sure to repeat this semester. So this is all just practice anyway. Que Sera Sera.

Anyone want to mention a condition, and I'll see if I know the early symptoms of it? Or a med?

I think you're spot on with your post. As for what happens when they both collide well I think that recently happened to me last week. Physically I was working long hours and than had a weekend with my girls...emotionally well we know how that is as we're all there. So for me it all came to a head on Monday morning. I called in...I couldn't get out of bed...just pure exhaustion. So I literally just stayed in bed watched tv, relax and slept...a mental health day if you will. It was the first day I took off since all of this. I could have used another day...but one day was all that I could take for work and it was fine. I was relatively energized Tuesday...so to answer your question finally the body just sort of shuts down. But the human body can endure alot.

In college, I carried a 24 hour load, worked a full time job (graveyard), taught 4 hours at the university three times a week (part of my program) and was married to an idiot who complained I wasn't paying enough attention to him. Gee ... so we could have a better life, maybe? I had a nervous breakdown. That's what happens.

Or you implode and become an anomaly.