Sleep Deprivation: Staying Awake For 30 Days?

Sleep is essential for our physical, cognitive and mental well-being. But what happens when we don't get enough of it? Sleep deprivation can have serious short- and long-term health effects, and the longer we go without sleep, the more intense these effects become. After 24 hours without sleep, we may experience impaired coordination, memory issues, and reduced reaction time. At 36 hours, the physical impact on our health becomes more severe, with higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. By 48 hours, we're likely experiencing microsleep, a protective reflex where our brain forces us to fall asleep briefly. After 72 hours, our ability to regulate emotions and accurately perceive the world is severely compromised, and we may start hallucinating. While the exact amount of time a person can survive without sleep is unclear, the current world record is just over 11 days, set by Randy Gardner in 1964.

After 24 hours: impaired decision-making, impaired vision and hearing, and increased risk of accidents

After 24 hours without sleep, you will likely experience impaired decision-making. This is because your brain attempts to conserve energy by entering a state that doctors refer to as "local sleep". During local sleep, your body temporarily shuts down neurons in some regions of your brain but not in others. As a result, your ability to perform complex tasks will significantly decline, and you will experience impaired judgment and decision-making.

Additionally, your vision and hearing may become impaired, and you may also experience diminished memory and attention. Your vision may be affected by changes in visual perception, such as objects appearing differently than they are. You may also have trouble concentrating and experience problems with cognition and thinking, such as short-term memory loss and brain fog.

Finally, your risk of accidents or near misses may increase due to reduced reaction time and decreased hand-eye coordination. This is further exacerbated by increased muscle tension. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize sleep and avoid going extended periods without rest to prevent these negative consequences.

After 36 hours: increased appetite, extreme fatigue, and microsleeps

After 36 hours without sleep, you will likely experience an increased appetite, extreme fatigue, and microsleeps.

At this stage, your body will be under considerable stress, with hormone imbalances and a slowed metabolism. Side effects such as mood fluctuations, poor attention, changes in body temperature, and an increased appetite will intensify. You may also experience microsleep, which is a protective reflex from your brain that forces you to fall asleep for a brief moment. This can last up to 30 seconds, and you may not even be aware that it happened.

Additionally, you may start to hallucinate and have illusions. Hallucinations are when you see, hear, or feel things that aren't there, while illusions are when you misinterpret something that is there. For example, you may struggle to read emotions or identify whether something you see is human.

The effects of sleep deprivation at 36 hours are intense and dangerous. Your ability to perform complex tasks and make decisions will be significantly impaired, and you will be at a higher risk of accidents.

After 48 hours: severe cognitive impairment, perceptual distortions, and increased irritability

After 48 hours of sleep deprivation, an individual will experience severe cognitive impairment, perceptual distortions, and increased irritability.

At this point, the individual will find it extremely hard to stay awake. They will likely experience microsleep, a brief period of complete unconsciousness that can last for several seconds. During microsleep, the brain forces itself to fall asleep by going "offline" for a short moment. After a microsleep episode, a person might feel confused or disoriented.

The brain will also start to experience severe cognitive impairment, with complex hallucinations becoming more common. These hallucinations can be visual or auditory, such as seeing something that isn't there or hearing a dog bark. An individual might also experience illusions, which are misinterpretations of real things, such as mistaking a sign for a person.

Emotions are also affected by this level of sleep deprivation. People may experience a heightened sense of irritability, as well as feelings of anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Research has shown that sleep-deprived individuals have difficulty processing others' emotions, such as recognising angry and happy facial expressions.

Additionally, sleep deprivation for this duration significantly impacts the immune system. Inflammatory markers, which are crucial for preventing and fighting illnesses, circulate at increased levels in the body. This can lead to a decrease in natural killer (NK) cell activity, impairing the body's ability to respond to immediate health threats like viruses or bacteria.

After 72 hours: uncontrollable urge to sleep, complex hallucinations, and severe disorientation

After 72 hours without sleep, you will likely experience an uncontrollable urge to sleep, complex hallucinations, and severe disorientation.

At this point, your body will be signalling a very strong desire to sleep. You may be unable to stay awake without assistance. Your ability to think will be severely limited, especially when it comes to executive functions such as multitasking, remembering details, and paying attention.

Your emotions will also be affected. You may experience irritability, anxiety, and paranoia. You may also find it difficult to process others' emotions, such as recognising angry and happy facial expressions.

Your perception of reality will be severely altered, and you may experience complex hallucinations. You may see or hear things that are not there. You may also experience illusions, which are when you misinterpret something that is real. For example, you may see a sign and think it is a person.

Your body will be under a lot of stress, and you may experience higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. Your hormones will be imbalanced, and your metabolism will be slowed. Your mood, attention, body temperature, and appetite will fluctuate.

It is important to note that the effects of sleep deprivation can vary from person to person, and you may experience symptoms earlier or later than others. However, going without sleep for 72 hours will have profound effects on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Short-term vs. chronic sleep loss: the effects of sleep loss are more severe over longer periods

Short-term sleep loss can have a significant impact on your health, but the effects of chronic sleep loss are more severe and long-lasting.

Short-term sleep loss

Short-term sleep loss can happen after just 24 hours of no sleep. The longer you stay awake, the more severe the symptoms become. After 24 hours, you can expect to feel tired, exhausted, or "off." Your risk of errors and accidents in everyday tasks increases, and your cognitive function and perception of reality are impaired.

After 36 hours, you will have an overwhelming urge to sleep and may experience microsleeps, which are brief periods of sleep that can last up to 30 seconds. You may also experience increased appetite and extreme fatigue.

After 48 hours, it will be even harder to stay awake, and you're more likely to have microsleeps. Other possible effects include perceptual distortions, increased irritability, and temporal disorientation.

Chronic sleep loss

Chronic sleep loss refers to not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. It is associated with both short-term health risks and long-term complications.

Short-term health risks of chronic sleep loss include:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty staying alert
• Cognitive impairments
• Decreased performance at work or school
• Increased risk of illness or injury

Long-term complications of chronic sleep loss include:

• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension
• High blood pressure
• Increased risk of certain cancers
• Impaired immune system
• Mental health issues such as anxiety or depression

Frequently asked questions