Can a person not sleep? The consequences of not sleeping for two days

Sleep is the most important physiological need of the human body. Lack of sleep or insufficient sleep affects your health in the same way as a serious illness. But in life, few people managed to avoid a situation where they had to stay awake for more than 18 hours, and for some, the period of insomnia may, for some reason, last longer. If you don’t sleep for 3 days, changes begin in your body.

What is sleep and why is it needed?

To understand what it means for the body not to sleep for 3 days in a row, let’s take a brief look at why a person needs sleep and what it should be like.

During sleep, all processes occurring in the body slow down: we breathe less often, our heart rate slows down, and muscle tone decreases. The brain also changes its functioning during sleep: it switches to night mode, and sends commands to all organs and systems of the body to adjust to the night mode. At the cellular level, regeneration occurs during sleep. The psycho-emotional sphere also rests: it is not without reason that they say that with sleep, anxieties and worries go away.

In order for the body to truly rest and sleep to be physiological, it is necessary that the quality of this rest meet certain criteria:

• sufficient duration;
• comfortable bed;
• comfortable environment.

The physiological norm of sleep depends on age and individual characteristics, but for normal functioning of the body you need to sleep at least 7 hours a day.

Quality sleep involves a horizontal body position to unload the spine and relax the skeletal muscles. The bed should not be too soft or too hard. The comfort of the environment is determined by:

• air humidity;
• temperature;
• room ventilation;
• absence of external stimuli (light, noise, odors).

The absence of one or more conditions of normal sleep can cause insomnia.

Causes of insomnia

Insomnia can be caused by:

• negative emotions accumulated during the day;
• depression;
• fear;
• psychological stress;
• overexcitement;
• information overload;
• external stimuli;
• physiological problems (severe pain, etc.)

In some situations, a person needs to stay awake for a long time, but it is a mistake to believe that if you don’t sleep for 3 days, you can do three times more work. During insomnia, a person’s performance decreases significantly, and his state of health worsens, and this process increases as the lack of sleep lasts for two or more days in a row.

Processes in the body during prolonged insomnia

If a person is forced to stay awake for three days or more, changes in physiological and mental state occur. The normal functioning of all organs is disrupted because they are not allowed to rest and recover.

The first and main consequence of prolonged lack of sleep is a sharp decrease in working capacity. The feeling of physical fatigue increases; the person is unable to do even the physical work that he usually does without difficulty.

Mental abilities decrease: a person cannot solve basic arithmetic problems, has difficulty remembering dates, surnames, etc. It is difficult for him to concentrate on anything. When typing, a large number of errors and typos are made.

Three days without sleep cause speech impairment: already on the second day a person begins to speak more slowly, and after 48 hours of insomnia he begins to “talk”, loses the logical thread of the conversation, and has difficulty finding the right words.

Memory lapses can relate to both long-standing events and those that happened an hour ago. Sharp behavioral changes occur: a person becomes irritable, causeless tears and even hysterics are possible.

The appearance changes, the person seems older than his age. Rubbing his eyes causes him to have red, swollen eyelids with bruises or bags under his eyes. The skin and mucous membranes turn pale, nails may become bluish.

Along with physical weakness, coordination of movements is impaired, tremor (shaking) of the arms and legs appears, convulsive twitching of the limbs and facial muscles (nervous tic) is possible. If you don’t sleep for 3 days, visual acuity decreases, the visual image “floats” and becomes unclear. There may be spots before the eyes. Your arms and legs begin to go numb, your skin becomes very cold to the touch, and you may sweat profusely.

This condition is accompanied by attacks of chills. Appetite decreases or is completely absent, the person feels sick. If he is not allowed to sleep when such symptoms occur, a sharp deterioration in his condition will occur: visual and auditory hallucinations may begin, after which the person falls into a comatose state and may die.

Consequences of prolonged lack of sleep

Such a physiological load cannot pass without leaving a trace on the body. You shouldn’t assume that all you need is a good night’s sleep and everything will be fine. To get back on track with normal functioning, you will need not only a long sleep: to relieve the stress received by the body during insomnia, a rehabilitation period is needed.

If you don't sleep for three days, the body's immune defense weakens, since T-lymphocytes, which are responsible for the antiviral and antibacterial barrier, are produced during sleep. Therefore, there is a high probability that after three sleepless days a person may develop an infectious disease.

With forced insomnia, people try to cheer themselves up with the help of various drinks (tea, coffee, energy drinks), which in large quantities sharply worsen the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Even after a person gets enough sleep, he will experience headaches due to spasms of cerebral vessels, arrhythmia and tachycardia. Possible disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract (constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea and vomiting, flatulence).

Restoring the body after three days without sleep

In order to get out of a severe physiological “tailspin,” sometimes drug therapy may be needed: the doctor may prescribe sedatives, vitamin complexes, and heart medications.

Changing the biochemistry of the human body will require restoration measures. Drinking plenty of fluids will ease a person’s condition after insomnia. A diet high in protein will help restore strength; food should be easily digestible. After suffering stress, it will be difficult for the body to digest heavy fatty foods, so the table should correspond to the diet that is prescribed to patients after surgical operations and serious illnesses. These are light first courses, lean meat, eggs, fermented milk products. Food needs to be boiled (meat and fish can be steamed), simmered with a little added oil.

Physical activity should be increased gradually.

If a person is busy with work that requires concentration, coordination of movements, and attentiveness, he should begin professional activities no earlier than a week after the shock occurred.

Only during such a period can we talk about the complete restoration of the body’s functionality and overcoming the negative consequences of prolonged insomnia.

Techniques if you need to stay awake for 3 days

When a situation arises in life that requires prolonged wakefulness, you can alleviate your condition by following simple rules.

1. The day before, you need to have a good rest and sleep longer than usual.
2. Replace heavy food with lighter food, and be sure to stock up on fresh fruit.
3. Once an hour, do short, simple exercises: move around, jump, squat. Bends to the side and in front of you will ensure a rush of blood to the brain and relieve tension from the spine.
4. Eat little by little, preferably every 3-4 hours. It is better to drink non-carbonated water and juices, drink no more than 400 ml of tea and coffee per day, in small cups.
5. Keep the lights on at night, but make sure the light is not too bright or shining directly into your eyes.
6. You need constant communication with others, you can turn on upbeat music.

For this period, professional activities and any activity requiring concentration, visual acuity and concentration (driver, dispatcher, etc.) are excluded.

Usually man sleeps during the day, but there are moments in life that you have to goes without sleep. I confess that since childhood I have been very fond of learning everything new, especially about the human body. And how can we not do without the love of experimentation in this area.

Everyone knows that sleep is very important for a person, but also many people are interested :

What is sleep?, What happens if you don’t sleep?, What do you feel when you don’t sleep? Then I didn’t yet know that I would publish all this on the website www.site

So, I'll start telling you how I did not sleep once in a lifetime for 7 days, armed with a notepad.

The article will be divided into 3 blocks.

1. I'm too lazy to read. Can you make it shorter?
2. I enjoy reading. Can be more?
3. Question answer

In short:

The first day.

I woke up and I decided not to sleep today. I need to do things that I don't have time to do.

2 am – I feel fine. At the same time I correspond with friends on ICQ.

Got things done.

Second day.

At 6 am felt nauseous. I ate, watched TV, played a game, the nausea went away. Feeling slightly tired and weak. 13:00 pm – no feeling tired or weak. A feeling of mild anesthesia throughout the entire body.

Day three.

Afraid don't sleep more. Why? I want to sleep. Stay calm and carry on. OK. He began to speak more slowly. The anesthesia is felt more on the tongue. Sometimes freezes in body movement occur. The easiest part of the body to control is the eyes. I am playing a game. Irritable. Delusional ideas are weakly expressed.

Day four.

I have a feeling that the day is unusual, very long. I started to forget what happened on 1 and on 2 day. It's good to have a notepad. Where's the pen?

I searched for 30 minutes. It turned out it was in my left hand. Began see yourself from the outside. The body is weakly felt. Sometimes a “blackout” effect occurs (the processor lags) for 1-10 minutes, although with my eyes open. Delusional ideas are strongly expressed.

Day five.

I read what happened to me first And second day. I don't think this happened to me. It seems that the day and life in general are endless. Specifically, hallucinations that at times turn into euphoria. Loss of memory and body awareness. I can independently, and sometimes without control, leave my body and fly up to 10 meters near me. And what’s most interesting is that I can walk while controlling myself like in a 3rd person game. Delusional ideas are very pronounced. I do not want to sleep.

Day six.

I sat on a chair and looked at one point on the monitor, about two hours. He jumped up sharply and ran to the turned off TV. I started convincing the top of the TV that I should pick up the brushes from my place of study. They are in danger. Slow speech. As I pass by, I hit the corners and stop to take in this impact for 2 minutes. Then I turn on. There is an opportunity, the ability to predict what will happen next in an event. It often becomes scary. I see different people. Strongly imagination is developed- objects can walk, and I can control them. I understood the completeness of the word Marasmus.

Day seven.

I am in heaven? The notebook cannot be written on. Limbs twitch and tremble. Oddities in behavior. Vegetable. If a person touches me, then he will be lucky if I answer in a minute or a minute and a half. From lack of sleep, severe memory loss continue.

I decide to end the experiment. I'm not very happy that I you can sleep. I don't believe.

Lay down. I leave my body and circle over my corpse for about ten minutes, seeing myself from the outside. The chandelier begins to descend and the ceiling begins to press down on me. I don't remember how I fell asleep.

Slept 10 hours.

Day eight.

_________________________________

More details:

The first day.

I woke up. The day started as usual. I ate, got ready, and went to study.

Unlearned. Came home. I realize that I have to do a lot of homework.

Crap! I'll have to sit longer today. You need to make a mat for your educational paintings. I started working to music. The mood was good. Music by Joe Satriani.

I understand what remains sleep only 3 hours and decide don't sleep.

Second day.

I didn't sleep all night. I went to eat and felt nauseous. Tired legs. I decided to drink some unusual tea because I wanted to sleep. Two sachet tea + Two spoons coffee + Two lumps of sugar.

tea+coffee+sugar

Stirred it and drank it hot. Seems to have recovered. I ran to study. A fellow student noticed bruises under her eyes. And I like the condition. Feeling alienated from people. During the day the sleepy state disappeared.

Finished studying and played an online game. I ate and drank the same recipe - 2 sachet tea plus 2 spoons coffee plus 2 tablespoons Sahara= I like the state - I don’t want to sleep.

Closer to 23:00 – I want to sleep, but I want to feel what will happen if I overpower myself today. Turned on the game and started playing. I survived that period. At night I decided to enhance my magic recipe. - 2 sachet tea + 4 spoons coffee + 0 spoons Sahara.

Wow!

I even felt nauseous and the back of my head hurt. After 30 minutes it passed.

I eat apples. Ate 4 pieces.

The condition is normal. Fruits and vegetables helped a lot. On the second day, the biological clock is completely lost. The whole body does not understand what is happening to it. It's stressful for him. The eyes do not close, it feels like matches have been inserted. Already this day, small blood vessels are bursting before my eyes. I dripped 2 drops of tea into each eye and the redness went away.

This time I was listening not to classic rock, but to Nightwish.

I had thoughts about stopping the experiment, but since I am curious, the body movements continued.

Day three.

I feel like I'm slowing down. I ignore the condition. And I continue to get ready for school.

There is some fear that I might die from this. I drink a drink - 2 sachet tea + 4 spoons coffee + 0 spoons Sahara. In 10 minutes I want to make chifir. I pour half a pack of loose tea into a mini saucepan and cook. I drink and feel a surge of energy. I'm not afraid of anything.

By the evening, irritability appears at everything. I understand that I am slowing down in actions and in conversation. I laugh at myself, and even have fits of laughter. In the evening I sat down to write music. " I am a superman"- I think. Periodically, to stay awake, I move my eyeballs in all directions. I answer people with a delay. I pour half a pack of loose tea into a mini saucepan and cook chifir. Cheerful. There was no feeling that I did not sleep a few days.

I feel like I don’t care and feel like my body is being left to the mercy of fate.

Day four.

The day is unusually long. I don't understand when the day started and ended. I'm starting to get confused with the days. I feel seriously tired. I decide to enhance the drink with its “healing properties” - 4 sachet tea + 8 spoons coffee + 5 spoons Sahara.

Head and shoulders hurt. My heart is beating like crazy. I understand that I should no longer consume so much sugar with coffee and tea. It is better to eat sweets separately from this drink.

I forget what happened on the first and second day. He began to disappear in space. The brain responds with delays.

I get scolded at school for hanging out and behaving strangely. I tell all my classmates all sorts of nonsense and keep laughing. The art teacher praises me. Delusional ideas begin and some hallucinations begin. I'm starting to come up with ideas for future paintings. I start to hear music, see strange people. I'm afraid of shadows. Cats scare me. BUT! Fortunately, I stop this farce and...

4 sachet tea + 8 spoons coffee + 0 spoons Sahara.

After 10 minutes I repeat the elixir

The next days I simply cannot write in detail. I hope you understand.

I will partially copy them from the above.

Day six.

I sat on a chair, looking at one point on the monitor, for about 2 hours. He jumped up sharply and ran to the turned off TV. I started to convince the top of the TV that I should take the brushes from my places of study. They are in danger. Slow speech. As I pass by, I hit the corners and stop to take in this impact for 2 minutes. Then I turn on. There is an opportunity, the ability to predict what will happen next in an event. You can cross the street and don’t have to stop to see whether there are cars there or not. Without turning his head, he simply let the cars pass and when they passed, he continued on. And then I thought that this was how it should be. It often becomes scary. I see different people. Strongly developed imagination- objects can walk, and I can control them. I understood the fullness of the word Insanity. I talked to the wall and tried to make it friends with the ceiling. Some things they wanted to kill me. In general, a mania appears that I am being pursued by different people and objects.

The muscles seize up. You can walk for an hour with your hand raised and only then realize that you can lower it. Then, that day, I had no idea that all this was happening because I did not sleep.

Day seven.

I am in heaven? The notebook cannot be written on. Limbs twitch and tremble. Oddities in behavior. Vegetable. If a person touches me, then he will be lucky if I answer him in a minute. Severe memory loss. Further I know from the words of other people. I don't smile. Facial expressions in sleep mode. Eyes move wildly in different directions.

I decide to end the experiment. I'm not glad that I can sleep. I don't believe.

Lay down. I'm leaving my body and circle above myself for about 10 minutes, seeing myself from the outside. The chandelier begins to descend and the ceiling begins to press down on me. I don't remember how I fell asleep.

Slept 10 hours

Day eight.

I'm alive. I understand who I am. No headache. I want to eat. I want to drink. Feeling of reality. Inadequate understanding of the time of day. I don't remember what happened. I took a notepad and began to remember. I entered all the notes into the computer. I'm glad.

I don't want to give advice, but how? diet for weight loss(lose 1-5 kilograms) the experiment showed itself on the good side. After that I lost 3 kg.

Note*

My famous mug, in which I brewed a “healing” potion – 250 ml.

Question answer

- How stay up for a few(2-3) days?

If needed Go without sleep for 2-3 days, then you NEED to evaluate the strength of your body. The task is to feel more or less adequate these days. From the first day you need to eat fruits and vegetables in advance, mainly orange, lemon, apples, grapes, pomegranate, carrots, and beets. These fruits and vegetables will help the body prepare for long-term stress. Also useful, before and on time sleepless nights take honey Be sure to drink invigorating drinks. Tea, coffee, whatever you like. It is acceptable to drink an energy drink (no more than 500 ml per day). It is prohibited to consume alcoholic beverages. Do exercises and, if possible, walk. Awaken your body with invigorating music.

It is advisable to wash your face more often and douse yourself with cold (ice) water 2-3 times a day, provided there are no contraindications. Cold water will help awaken all the cells of the body and stimulate the human immune system. Don't dress too warmly. Warmth causes our body to calm down and put to sleep.

If possible, close your eyes for 15-20 minutes and relax. Sleep in 15 minutes It will greatly charge your body. The main thing is not to undress, otherwise 15-20 minutes will turn into a 6-8 hour sleep.

- What happens if don't sleep?

Anything. If you still don’t understand after reading (or haven’t read) the article, then I’ll answer this way:

Dizziness, nausea, weakness, blood pressure problems. Increased temperature, vomiting, imbalance, irritability, aggressiveness. Loss of real perception of the surrounding world. Heart pain, anemia, joint pain, spinal pain. Hallucinations, delusions. Lethal outcome and much more. Here, what happens if you don't sleep.

- I don't understand slept or not. How to check?

You'll find out in the evening. Tired eyes may be a clue. Move your eyes left, right, up, down. If you feel that the muscles of your eyes ache, then they are tired, therefore it is possible that you didn't sleep or just tired. If you cannot move your eyes and you cannot open them, then you are still sleeping.

- How can no harm in sleeping for good health?

- How long can a person stay awake? ?

The Guinness Book of Records has a record for the number of hours. In the winter of 1963, it was installed by 17-year-old schoolboy Randy Gardner, who was awake for 264 hours (11 days). After this, representatives of the Book of Records stated that they would no longer register attempts to break this record, as this might represent threat to human health. Nevertheless, attempts to break the record continued...

The next lucky winner was Tony Wright, a 42-year-old Briton from Cornwall. Tony stated that he would use a technique in which the hemispheres of the brain would be awake alternately, like dolphins, but he did not explain the essence of the technique. The experiment took place in a bar and it all started at 6 a.m. on May 14, 2007. Accompanied by friends and under the supervision of online webcams, Tony began to conquer the record. While the experiment lasted, Tony kept a diary, the original can be read in English. On the 11th day, Tony began to slur his speech and feel irritable from too bright colors, but was still able to hold out and set a new official record of 275 hours without sleep. Unfortunately, it was not included in the Guinness Book of Records, since the experiment was too dangerous, but the record was recorded and covered in the media.

Further, the dubious record was also not counted for Tyler Shields - American professional photographer. He set his own record of staying awake for 40 days. Tyler stated that he didn't sleep 968 consecutive hours specifically to become a record holder. After setting the record, he admitted that the most surprising thing was that he even didn't feel tired. And all the people around him who watched him also did not complain of fatigue.

However, despite the photographer's efforts, the Guinness World Records team said: “It is very difficult to establish whether Tyler Shields actually went without sleep for many hours. That is why we cannot enter this record in the Guinness Book."

Everyone who haven't slept for more than 2 days, it is not recommended to repeat the experiment, as this is dangerous to human health.

- How many a person needs to sleep?

It's different for every person. For some, 4 hours is enough, and for others, they sleep through all 12 and complain that not enough sleep.

I think that the number 8, which doctors constantly tell us, is outdated and conditional. Sometimes it’s better to sleep an extra 30 minutes during the day. It will feel like you slept for 3 hours. And you feel a surge of strength.

- Why not photograph a sleeping person?

There are many reasons why this cannot be done. One of the reasons is superstition. If someone is superstitious, then for this person this sign will be significant in his life. In the 19th century in Europe, there was a tradition of photographing dead people as if they were simply sleeping. The deceased was dressed in elegant clothes and placed on a bed or “seated” on a chair and photographed. It was often possible to find photographs in which the deceased was depicted “sitting” at a common table during an impromptu family tea party. This is where the origin of superstition comes from - initially, dead people were photographed with their eyes closed in the form of sleeping people.

It is up to everyone to believe or not to believe.

Another reason - photo of a sleeping man usually with weak bioenergy.

The last reason is simple. A person may simply be frightened by a bright flash and send you to hell, and he will be right.

If you have any more questions, please ask.

___________________________________________

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You are currently located in the topic: How I didn't sleep for 7 days. Topic about how I did not sleep 7 days.

Sleep is a biorhythm given to us by nature, without which we cannot do without. But there are people who do not fully realize the value of night rest for the body. They try to cut it down in order to gain more time for active wakefulness. How wrong they are!

Lack of sleep for one day will not lead to any serious health consequences. However, prolonged lack of sleep leads to a disruption in the circadian cycle - it disrupts a person’s finely tuned biological clock. If you don’t sleep for a whole day, the first thing that will happen is severe fatigue. Then attention and memory disorders may appear. This is how a disruption in the functioning of the neocortex manifests itself - the area of ​​the cerebral cortex that is responsible for learning and memory.

How to survive a night without sleep

It is known that even a slight lack of sleep has a negative effect on the body. But sometimes circumstances are such that you can’t sleep. Then you need to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the night vigil in order to minimize the adverse consequences.

Here are some tips on how to stay awake at the most crucial moment and recover quickly:

1. Get a good night's sleep beforehand. You already know that you are in for a sleepless night. This means that you need to unload your body as much as possible. It is recommended to sleep for at least 3-4 days beforehand as much as possible. Then you will be able to avoid serious health problems.
2. Doze off for a while. Just 20-25 minutes - and you have regained some strength. When the opportunity arises for a short rest, it is better to prefer a short nap. If you suddenly have 1-1.5 hours free, feel free to go to bed. In this case, awakening will occur immediately after the end of the REM sleep phase. This will give you a feeling of more or less complete rest.
3. Let there be light! In the dark, the sleep hormone melatonin begins to be produced. You can get rid of the obsessive desire to fall asleep by turning on the lighting. For example, placing a light source (a computer monitor or a desk lamp) directly near the eyes activates the brain.
4. Open the window. When the room is cool (about 18-19°C), falling asleep is much easier. To maintain vigor, the air temperature in the room should be maintained at 23-24°C.
5. Take a cool shower. Sometimes just the thought of having to douse yourself with cold water immediately invigorates you. Those for whom such procedures are contraindicated (for example, with a runny nose) can simply wash their face. This method does not work for long - the resulting charge is enough for about 30 minutes - a maximum of an hour. Then you will need to repeat everything.
6. Avoid confectionery products. It is recommended to prefer high-energy and high-protein light foods. They will give you strength for a long period. Under no circumstances eat a lot at once. It is best to have small snacks until the morning. This way you can maintain your energy reserves.
7. Drink coffee slowly, in small sips. If you feel tired, you should drink one or two cups little by little. It’s also good to chew something healthy. It is permissible to go for a supplement no earlier than after 4 hours.
8. Get up and walk around. You need to give yourself short breaks approximately every 45 minutes. Take at least 10-15 minutes to get out and walk.

Causes and consequences of sleepless nights

If you stay awake all night before any important event (exams at a higher educational institution, defense of a PhD thesis, wedding), this will negatively affect the functioning of the body as a whole. The next day the person will suffer from drowsiness and generally feel unwell.

Lack of night rest is fraught with the following consequences:

Some schoolchildren and students, who were too lazy to study diligently all year, rush to gnaw on the granite of science on the last night before a test or exam. Working people are more familiar with the concept of a deadline (the deadline by which a task must be completed). A person who is accustomed to postponing all important matters for later, sooner or later (in this case it’s late) realizes that the finished project or task will still have to be handed over to management. And then the labor night vigils begin. It’s also good when you can sleep well the next day. But on weekdays, a working person does not have such luxury.

Without sleeping a wink at night, a schoolchild, student or office worker will literally fall asleep on the go all day. Of course, in such a state there can be no talk of any concentration. And this is fraught with problems in school and at work, conflicts with teachers and superiors.

When preparing for exams or a busy work day, in principle, you can devote the entire dark time of the day to this activity. The main thing is that this should be an isolated case and not develop into a vicious pattern. You will be able to keep a more or less fresh mind if you do not neglect one valuable piece of advice. It consists of taking a little nap.

Even a 15-minute half-nap helps improve your well-being and slightly clear your brain. But drinking large amounts of coffee or, even worse, energy drinks will do nothing but harm.

The dangers of lack of sleep and how to improve your sleep

The generally accepted norm of sleep for a person is at least 8 hours a day. If the night's rest is inadequate, superficial, intermittent or completely absent, this has a very unfavorable effect not only on the mood, but also on the condition of the internal organs.

When lack of sleep occurs more than 2 times a week, a person suffers from poor health and headaches throughout the day.

Chronic lack of sleep ultimately leads to serious health problems and even dangerous diseases:

• premature appearance of wrinkles;
• impotence;
• metabolic disorders;
• destruction of joints;
• high blood pressure (hypertension);
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• diabetes mellitus;
• oncology.

When problems with night rest occur more than 3 times a week, this indicates the presence of insomnia. To get rid of it, you should consult a therapist or neurologist. The doctor will determine the real cause of the sleep disorder and give appropriate recommendations.

Under no circumstances should you prescribe sleeping pills yourself. They are addictive. The dosage will have to be gradually increased over time, and this already poses a danger to life.

Healthy sleep should be sound. How to make sure you sleep really well:

After the fact

If you already know that you will have to spend one or more nights without sleep, do not forget that this is a blow to the body. Therefore, get into the healthy habit of taking care of your health - eat right, drink enough fluids and periodically arrange five minutes of rest at work.

One sleepless night, of course, does not threaten serious problems. Unless, within 1-2 days after it, the mood will be depressed, and irritability may also increase. But chronic lack of sleep poses a significant threat to health.

Weekends for many people are an opportunity to have time to rest for the entire last working week, and few manage to get enough sleep. What will happen if you don’t sleep at all and what will come of it - in our material.

First day

The first day without sleep will not cause serious consequences for health and well-being. However, it is absolutely certain that the circadian cycle, which is responsible for a person’s internal biological clock, will fail.

Circadian rhythms are associated with the activity of the brain and metabolism and the circadian clock is “checked” with the 24-hour light cycle of day and night, so one day without sleep will lead to minor disruptions in the functioning of the human body. A person who has not slept for one day will, of course, feel tired and have some problems with memory and attention.

Second and third days

In addition to the fact that fatigue will intensify and memory function will deteriorate, there will also be a lack of coordination of movements, noticeable problems with concentrating thoughts and concentrating vision. A slight nervous tic may appear due to exhaustion of the nervous system.

The degradation of speech will begin - it will become monotonous and replete with cliches. Disruption of the frontal lobe of the brain will lead to a deterioration in creative thinking and the inability to focus on a task.

In addition to the deterioration of the functioning of the nervous system and brain, the digestive system will work unusually - this is a consequence of the “inclusion” of the body’s evolutionary defense during a long period of wakefulness, in the form of a “fight or flight” mechanism.

The production of leptin will increase and the appetite will increase, especially for salty and fatty foods - the body in a stressful situation triggers the function of storing fats, as well as the production of insomnia hormones, which means it will not be easy for a person to fall asleep.

Fourth-fifth days

During this period, a person may experience hallucinations and severe irritability. On the fifth day without sleep, there will be a pronounced slowdown in the functioning of areas of the brain, and accordingly, neural activity will be very weak.

Solving simple arithmetic problems will be an impossible task for him, due to serious disruptions in the functioning of the parietal zone, which is responsible for logic.

The temporal lobe, which controls speech abilities, will continue to work worse and worse - speech will become even more incoherent than on the second or third day of wakefulness.

Sixth-seventh day

On the sixth day, a person will be radically different from himself in a normal state. Behavior will change greatly, and auditory hallucinations will be added to visual hallucinations.

Mental abnormalities on the seventh day will acquire a pronounced character - paranoia, hallucinations, signs of Alzheimer's disease, persecution mania, signs of schizophrenia. A person can easily communicate on equal terms with a road sign, prove something to him and be sure that a radio host is hunting him and wants to kill him. This was the case with the record holder for insomnia, Randy Gardner, who went without sleep for 11 days in total.

Randy had severe tremors of the limbs - this is a consequence of excessive exhaustion of the nervous system. He lost coherent speech, and solving problems was no longer his thing; he simply forgot the question that was asked to him.
On the seventh day, the human body experiences severe stress. Immunity will seriously decline, brain activity will be extremely weak, and the functioning of the liver, kidneys and other systems will deteriorate.

Below, especially for those who do not believe in such disruptions to the functioning of the human body, we will present the story of our compatriot, who decided to conduct a similar experiment on himself.

The first day

I woke up and decided not to sleep today. I need to do things that I don't have time to do. 2 am - I feel fine. At the same time I correspond with friends on ICQ.
Got things done.

Second day

At 6 am I felt nauseous. I ate, watched TV, played a game, the nausea went away. Feeling slightly tired and weak. 13:00 pm - no feeling tired or weak. A feeling of mild anesthesia throughout the entire body.

Day three

I'm afraid not to sleep yet. Why? I want to sleep. Stay calm and carry on. OK. He began to speak more slowly. The anesthesia is felt more on the tongue. Sometimes freezes in body movement occur. The easiest part of the body to control is the eyes. I am playing a game. Irritable. Delusional ideas are weakly expressed.

Day four

I have a feeling that the day is unusual, very long. I began to forget what happened on days 1 and 2. It's good to have a notepad. Where's the pen?
I searched for 30 minutes. It turned out it was in my left hand. I began to see myself from the outside. The body is weakly felt. Sometimes a “blackout” effect occurs (the processor lags) for 1-10 minutes, although with my eyes open. Delusional ideas are strongly expressed.

Day five

I read what happened to me on the first and second days. I don't think this happened to me. It seems that the day and life in general are endless. Specifically, hallucinations that at times turn into euphoria. Loss of memory and body awareness. I can independently, and sometimes without control, leave my body and fly up to 10 meters near me. And what’s most interesting is that I can walk while controlling myself like in a 3rd person game. Delusional ideas are very pronounced. I do not want to sleep.

Day six

I sat on a chair and looked at one point on the monitor for about two hours. He jumped up sharply and ran to the turned off TV. I started convincing the top of the TV that I should pick up the brushes from my place of study. They are in danger. Slow speech. As I pass by, I hit the corners and stop to take in this impact for 2 minutes. Then I turn on. There is an opportunity, the ability to predict what will happen next in an event. It often becomes scary. I see different people. Imagination is highly developed - objects can walk, and I can control them. I understood the fullness of the word Insanity.

Day seven

I am in heaven? The notebook cannot be written on. Limbs twitch and tremble. Oddities in behavior. Vegetable. If a person touches me, then he will be lucky if I answer in a minute or a minute and a half. Due to lack of sleep, severe memory loss continues.
Next, I know almost only what people told me. I don't smile. Facial expressions in sleep mode. Eyes move wildly in different directions.
I decide to end the experiment. I'm not very happy that I can sleep. I don't believe.
Lay down. I leave my body and circle over my corpse for about ten minutes, seeing myself from the outside. The chandelier begins to descend and the ceiling begins to press down on me. I don't remember how I fell asleep.
Slept for 10 hours.

Day eight

I'm alive. I understand who I am. No headache. I want to eat. I want to drink. Feeling of reality. Inadequate understanding of the time of day. I don't remember what happened. I took a notepad and began to remember. I entered all the notes into the computer. I'm glad.

Such experiments with your health are extremely undesirable and can be dangerous. Sleep is a necessity developed over millions of years of evolution that cannot be overpowered, so do not test yourself, but trust your body and go to bed on time.

Everyone needs sleep. At rest, strength is restored, information is processed and stored, and the immune system is strengthened. Therefore, it is so important to follow the regime and pay due attention to night rest. Speaking of what will happen if you don’t sleep for a long time, the consequences may be irreversible. In many ways, the changes occurring in the body depend on the period a person spent in a state of wakefulness.

In the course of a number of studies, it was possible to establish that the rule of three eights should be taken as the basis of the regime. Thus, eight hours a day should be spent on work, rest and rest. It is worth noting that there are also individual characteristics of the body that need to be taken into account. One person who slept for five hours will feel refreshed after waking up, while another will need up to ten hours to restore all systems.

To determine exactly how much time you need to rest during the night, you need to consider a number of factors:

• age category;
• presence of physical or mental stress;
• health status.

It has been noted that the older a person is, the less time he spends sleeping. In this case, the duration of rest for newborns is up to twenty hours daily. Older children need 10-12 hours, teenagers 8-10, and adults 7-8.

In addition, the duration of sleep is directly dependent on the state of the body, the presence or absence of physical and mental stress. In addition, women need a longer night's rest than men. They are much more emotional and their strength takes longer to recover.

What happens if you don't sleep for a long time

Prolonged wakefulness will inevitably affect a person’s abilities and well-being. If you don’t sleep for just a day, the situation can be corrected: you just need to replenish your strength. It’s a completely different matter if you don’t sleep for 3 days in a row or more. In this case, the changes will be more serious.

1 night

The first 24 hours without sleep will have virtually no effect on your health. A sleepless night will cause drowsiness. You will feel overwhelmed. The ability to process information decreases. Concentration decreases. You may have trouble falling asleep the next night.

Doctors say that this disrupts brain function and distorts the sense of time. Changes in the emotional background are noted.

2 days

If a person is forced not to sleep for 2 days, changes are noted not only in brain activity. There may be malfunctions in the operation of other systems. Disturbances from the gastrointestinal tract are noted. Nausea and diarrhea are noted. Dizziness and frequent vomiting are also possible. At the same time, your appetite increases significantly. The body's protective functions are suppressed.

After two days of wakefulness, the following changes occur:

• the level of attention decreases;
• thought processes are carried out more slowly;
• speech is disrupted;
• motor abilities deteriorate. It is possible that trembling may occur.

Similar symptoms appear in cases where there is no opportunity to sleep for a long time, but disappear after a full night's rest.

3 days

After three days of wakefulness, more serious problems with coordination of movement and speech will arise. If you don't sleep for 3 days, a nervous tic appears and your appetite decreases. In addition, the hands become cold and there is chills. The gaze can focus on one point, and moving it away is quite problematic.

It is worth noting that failures are possible during this period. At the same time, the awake person does not begin to doze off. There is a temporary shutdown of certain parts of the human brain. He may be walking down the street and not remember how he crossed a certain section, or pass the desired stop on public transport. On the fourth day the situation worsens even more.

4 days

The consequences of sleep deprivation after 4 days are quite serious. Hallucinations (auditory and visual) begin to occur. Brain activity slows down. It becomes more difficult to process even basic information, and serious memory problems arise. Consciousness becomes confused and appearance changes. A person who is awake becomes like an old man.

5 or more days

After 5 days, attacks of hallucinations become more frequent. The day begins to seem like it lasts forever. Changes in body temperature are observed. Moreover, it is possible for it to fall and rise. Solving basic arithmetic problems becomes impossible.

If you don’t fall asleep for another day, the symptoms change dramatically:

• irritability increases;
• limbs move involuntarily;
• speech is almost impossible to understand;
• the tremor intensifies and becomes similar to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Not sleeping for 7 days is extremely life-threatening. After a sleepless week, panic attacks and signs of schizophrenia appear. Delusional ideas begin to appear, and the body is already completely exhausted.

Maximum lack of sleep without death

Scientists conducted an experiment and recorded the maximum period of wakefulness - 19 days. In addition, an experiment was carried out by an American schoolboy who did not sleep for eleven days. At the same time, doctors say that an ordinary person is able to stay awake for a week, but even during this period irreversible consequences are possible.

There are also people who may not sleep at all. For example, the Vietnamese Tai Ngoc suffered a serious illness and has been awake for 38 years after that. A native of England, Eustace Burnett, has not had a full rest for more than 56 years.

Night rest is extremely important for normal human functioning. Doctors strongly do not recommend experimenting on yourself and giving up sleep. It is noted that it is allowed to stay awake for no more than two days without causing much harm to the body. After this period, you need to regain your strength to avoid serious consequences.