Plural of acoemetus; members of the acoemetae monastic sect that practiced continuous worship without sleeping.
From Greek 'a-' (without) and 'koime' (sleep), the plural form of the noun referring to individual sleepless monks in this ascetic movement.
Historical records suggest the Acoemeti actually did try to stay awake for days—their writings describe hallucinations and mood swings, making them accidental pioneers in studying sleep deprivation effects on the human brain.
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