Confusion is a very common element. Like mistaking one thing for another, just like the story where someone thought their cat was a dragon. Another common element is doing everyday tasks in a really strange way. For example, making coffee wrong like my coworker did.
One common element is that people often have very vivid but completely wrong perceptions. They might see or hear things that aren't there. Also, a lack of self - awareness is often present. People don't realize how strange their behavior is until someone points it out or they snap out of their sleep - deprived state. For instance, when I sat at the wrong table in the library, I had no idea what I was doing was wrong until the owner of the stuff showed up.
Common elements include the breakdown of normal perception. Sleep - deprived people may misinterpret normal sounds or movements as something terrifying. For instance, the creaking of an old house at night might seem like a monster approaching. Another element is the isolation that often comes with sleep deprivation. If a person is alone during their sleep - deprived state, they feel more vulnerable to whatever horrors their mind conjures up. Additionally, there's often a build - up of paranoia. The more sleep - deprived someone is, the more they start to suspect that there are malevolent forces at work around them, which is a key part of the horror in these stories.
Hallucinations are common. Like seeing things that aren't there, just like the example of the student seeing his textbooks come to life.
I was sleep - deprived during finals week. I went to the library to study and accidentally sat at the wrong table. I started using the person's stuff there thinking it was mine. When they came back, I was so confused. I just stared at them blankly for a while before realizing my mistake. It was quite embarrassing but also funny in hindsight. I was just so out of it from lack of sleep.
Well, I was sleep - deprived once during a long - haul flight. I dozed off and when the flight attendant asked me if I wanted something to drink, I mumbled 'A glass of clouds please.' Everyone around me burst out laughing when they heard that. I was so embarrassed when I woke up fully.
One common element is the absurdity. Like dreaming of impossible things such as flying pigs or talking trees. Another is the unexpected, for example, waking up in a completely different place in your dream than where you actually fell asleep. Also, dreams that involve your daily life in a very distorted way can be really funny, such as your pet turning into a giant and chasing you around the house in your sleep.
Once, my neighbor was sleep - deprived from a noisy night. In the morning, he went outside to get the newspaper. Instead of picking it up, he started having a conversation with the mailbox as if it was a person. He was asking it how its day was going and if it had any interesting news. His wife saw him and couldn't stop laughing. He was so out of it that he didn't even understand why she was laughing at first.
One common element is the loss of a sense of time. When in a sensory - deprived state, characters often can't tell if minutes or days have passed, which adds to the unease. For example, in many stories, the protagonist might think they've been trapped for a short while, but it turns out to be much longer.
Well, I knew a guy who worked long hours at a factory and then had to take care of his sick mother at night. With almost no sleep for weeks, one day while driving to work, he fell asleep at the wheel for a second. He woke up just in time to avoid crashing into another car. He was so shaken by that near - miss that it took him a long time to feel normal again. Lack of sleep had turned his life into a horror story.
One scary sleep deprivation story is about a student preparing for exams. He stayed up for days. He started seeing things like shadowy figures in the corner of his room. His mind played tricks on him, and he thought his textbooks were coming alive. It was terrifying.
Once there was a student preparing for final exams. He stayed up for days on end. As the nights passed, he started seeing strange shadows in his room. One night, he thought he saw his own doppelganger standing at the foot of his bed, grinning wickedly. He was so terrified that he could barely move. When he finally mustered the courage to turn on the light, the figure disappeared. But from that night on, every time he closed his eyes, he felt a sense of dread, as if something was lurking in the darkness waiting for him to fall asleep again.