Microsleeps

But you'd probably be snatching subtle bursts of sleep even before you finally went to bed: sleep-deprived people slip in and out of "microsleeps" - seconds of sleep that occur without you noticing them, often with your eyes open. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Another symptom is the occurrence of "microsleeps," short bursts of sleep that can happen without a person even realizing it.

'microsleeps' which are 'very brief periods of loss of attention associated with events such as blank stare, head snapping, and prolonged eye closure which may occur when a person is fatigued but trying to stay awake to perform a monotonous task like driving a car or watching a computer screen.' ❋ Unknown (2008)

These pilots not only put in extended hours on duty but also crossed multiple time zones and had a tendency to fall into frequent, brief “microsleeps” lasting a few seconds. ❋ Tony Schwartz (2010)

During the critical final thirty minutes of the flight, the nonnapping pilots had an average of twenty-two “microsleeps” lasting between three and ten seconds. ❋ Tony Schwartz (2010)

Do you have what sleep researchers call “microsleeps,” brief episodes of sleep during the day when you just drop off for a moment? ❋ William Kent Krueger (2010)

These pilots not only put in extended hours on duty but also cross multiple time zones and had a tendency to fall into frequent, brief “microsleeps” lasting a few seconds. ❋ Tony Schwartz (2010)

White House staff have been seen nodding off in meetings (a good thing: those microsleeps can actually help them), and I can only imagine the toll this takes on their families. ❋ Unknown (2009)

The hallucinations that develop on the third day of wakefulness are thought to be hypnagogic hallucinations that occur during microsleeps or short periods of light sleep lasting about one to ten seconds. ❋ The Verger (2008)

"When you think you are awake, you are probably having numerous microsleeps that you are consciously unaware of," he says. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Man, I had a really bad microsleep during [trig] yesterday. I couldn't stay [awake] for more than [a minute] or two. ❋ W@tcher (2006)

I just [fell asleep] for [30 seconds], I just had a microsleep [episode]. ❋ NND9987 (2010)