Michael Jackson died while preparing to set a world record for the most successful concert run, but he unknowingly set another record that led to his death.
Jackson may be the only human ever to go two months without REM — rapid eye movement — sleep, which is vital to keep the brain and body alive. The 60 nights of propofol infusions Dr. Conrad Murray said he gave Jackson to treat his insomnia is something a sleep expert says no one had ever undergone.
“The symptoms that Mr. Jackson was exhibiting were consistent with what someone might expect to see
of someone suffering from total sleep deprivation over a chronic period,” Dr. Charles Czeisler, a Harvard Medical School sleep expert, testified Friday at the wrongful-death trial of concert promoter AEG LIve.
I – Word Understanding
Unknowingly – not aware of what is really happening
Protofol infusion – to fill the body with protofol (a drug that can make a person unconscious or go to coma)
Insomnia – a condition of not being able to sleep
Chronic period – a long time
II – Have your say
1. REM or Rapid Eye Movement is the stage of sleep when intense dreaming happens, as a result
of increased brain activity.
2. Show producers reported that Jackson became progressively thinner and paranoid and was talking
to himself in his final weeks. These are some of the effects of sleep deprivation.
3. People prone to sleep deprivation:
● Musicians
● Astronauts
● Secret Service Agents
● Night Shift Workers
