Seriously Funny: Playing Pranks on the Exhausted

Sleep Pranks

Once again I’ve been wandering around on YouTube looking at sleep videos. Tonight I branched out from the “cute sleepy animals” tack I’ve been on lately and let out my inner prankster… you’d be amazed how many funny videos are out there from people who get a kick out of messing with friends while they’re sleeping.

A Prank Gone Wrong: One Sleepy Young Man

In this video, a young man crashes out on a couch, only to be bugged repeatedly by his older family members. The poor kid is so tired, though, that he never does more than bat an eye. See for yourself:

Exhausted Sleep

Nobody can go forever without sleep. Though sleep experts are still trying to figure out why sleep is so important, we know that it’s a natural part of human biology – one that can’t be ignored.

Like the drives for food and shelter, the drive for sleep isn’t optional. Neal Aguillard, MD, medical director of the Methodist Sleep Disorders Center in Memphis, told Mid-South Pulmonary Specialists that “You’ve got to pay the piper – at some point, you’ve got to get some sleep.” Beth Malow, MD, who directs Nashville’s Vanderbilt Sleep Disorder Center, said that research shows we physically must sleep. Eventually, if we don’t sleep, we die.

Apparently, the young man getting pranked in this video is “paying the piper.” He’s obviously in an exhausted sleep, tired enough that his body is favoring sleep over multiple irritating stimuli (a.k.a., giggling relatives and *really* sour flavors) just to get some rest.

Folks, don’t let this happen to you. Get your rest in the first place, and you won’t be so tired you can’t react when you need to. Luckily, the worst this kid was faced with was marginally maniacal giggling. But if you’re responsible for a child or work in situations where this kind of dead sleep could be dangerous, take it seriously – get your rest!