And then there were the migraines—so bad that my right eyeball felt like it was going to be ejected Patriot Missile–style from my skull. It turns out your body and brain enjoy and require sleep, and when you don’t get sufficient amounts of it over two years, sleep deprivation kicks your nervous system right in the crotch. I had X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, dye injected into my brain to track blood flow and check for strokes.