i dunno if they still do this, but some P.O.W (whichever war) were sometimes tortured with sleep deprivation. i read a book recently called "The Accidental Mind", it's all about the brain and one chapter was on sleep (and dreams).

So basically, yea you'll go mad if you are without sleep for too long. your body and your mind both need to regenerate. plus, regarding all the brain activity during sleep, it is possible, no, probable that your brain uses that time to collect your new memories and "move" them to other parts of your brain, for longterm storage.

cool, huh? :buzz_saw: