With the hustles and bustles of modern life, sleep deprivation is a common occurrence. The majority of the people are experiencing it.
Sleep deprivation is defined as not getting enough sleep to keep the body functioning properly.
Sleep deprivation causes people to feel as if they have not rested or as if they are not alert. It isn’t a sleeping disorder, but it isn’t a case of extreme sleepiness either.
According to several experts, sleep deprivation at any stage reduces the quality of life, financial well-being, and ultimately has a negative impact on our health, as will be discussed in this article.
If you undergo a severe bout of lack of sleep, whether due to continuous insomnia or external conditions, you will begin to feel the effects incredibly quickly.
We’ll go over the various symptoms you might experience based on how many hours you’ve been awake below.
Table of Contents
24 hours
While you can feel the effects of sleep deprivation after only a few hours, you’ll usually be diagnosed as acutely sleep-deprived after 24 hours.
Staying up for 24 hours would be the same as having a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control).
The most common symptoms at this stage have an effect on your mood; you may experience increased anxiety, irritability, or stress.
Other acute sleep deprivation symptoms include:
- Drowsiness
- Anger
- Light-headedness
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Increased chance of stress
36 hours
The stages of sleep deprivation become worse the longer you go without sleep. While even a small amount of sleep loss can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system, going 36 hours without sleep can put your heart under a lot of strain.
After a day and a half of not sleeping, you’re not just inefficient and anxious; you’re also at risk of serious health problems.
Higher levels of various inflammatory markers in your bloodstream can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, your cognitive abilities are likely to deteriorate. You might have trouble remembering people’s faces.
After 36 hours of sleep deprivation, you will begin to experience more severe symptoms. Your desire to sleep will grow stronger, and you may experience microsleeps (falling asleep unexpectedly for 30 seconds to a minute), and all of the symptoms you experienced after 24 hours of sleep deprivation will worsen.
In addition, you may notice new symptoms such as:
- Reduced reaction time
- Reduced awareness
- Incapable of making decisions
- Behavioral changes
- Memory cognitive deficits
- Cravings for fast food
- Extreme fatigue
- Immune problems
You are also more likely to experience physical side effects such as:
- Intensified appetite
- Induced inflammatory response
- Immunological dysfunction
- Extreme exhaustion
48 hours
When you reach 48 hours without sleep, the stages of sleep deprivation become even more serious. Your body is under a major amount of stress at this point.
You may even begin to experience hallucinations. This takes place when you see, hear, or feel something that isn’t actually there.
According to studies, people who do not get enough sleep for 48 hours have a significantly different immune system than people who get enough sleep.
For example, your white blood cell count drops dramatically, making it difficult to fight disease. A study of healthy people who had been sleep-deprived for two days discovered higher levels of nitrogen in their urine as well.
This indicates that your body is under a great deal of stress. Furthermore, your reaction time will be severely hampered at this point. You’ll struggle to stay on track. In addition, you may notice new symptoms such as:
- Frustration and anxiety
- Irritability
- Increased emotional dysregulation
- Extreme stress
- Severe exhaustion
- Mood swings
72 hours
When you reach 72 hours, you will most likely be unable to stay awake on your own. You could fall asleep at your desk, in the bathroom, at the lunch table, or while driving.
You will most likely be unable to think clearly, and your ability to converse may be impaired. Your emotions will be unstable, resulting in anything from a depressed mood to anxiety, paranoia, or even mania.
If you haven’t sought medical attention yet, you should do so as soon as you reach three days without sleep.
Sleep deprivation causes extreme instability in your psychological and motor responses. You won’t be able to concentrate on anything and will struggle to keep your emotions under control.
Hallucinations become more common as sleep deprivation progresses. Your brain will be unable to properly absorb the information around you, and it will begin to fill in the gaps with things that make little sense.
- Extreme fatigue
- Emotional exhaustion
- Extreme mood swings
- Disordered thinking
96 hours or more
Going 96 hours or more without sleep is extremely hazardous to your health. Sleep is your body’s way of nourishing itself.
According to studies, the more time we go without sleep, the more psychotic systems we develop. This can range from minor visual illusions to full-fledged hallucinations as a result of sleep deprivation.
Your perception of reality is likely to be distorted after 96 hours of no sleep.. You may find it extremely difficult to do even the most basic tasks, such as reading, spelling, and speaking. At this point, even the simplest tasks pose a high threat of injury. If you can, try to get some sleep. And if you can’t, see a doctor as soon as possible.
How to cure Sleep Deprivation
The following are some tips or tricks that you can use to cure sleep deprivation and have a healthy sleep:-
Relax your Body
Body relaxation is a must for curing a sleep deprivation. No matter what exercise you have done the whole day make sure you meditate before going to bed. Meditation calms your mind and relaxes the body which will definitely help you in having a healthy sleep.
Breathing Exercise
Studies say deep breathing cleanses the body toxins and helps to calm the body. Thus, if you breathe well before sleep it could help you in sleep.
Light Therapy
If you have sleep deprivation on insomnia and have consulted the doctor, then this could be a chance that you are aware of Light therapy. Light therapy is usually suggested by doctors which helps to correct your internal clock and can cure insomnia for the long term.
Also Read: What Do You Want to Know About Healthy Sleep?
Fine Line
Within 24 hours of missing sleep, the first stage of sleep deprivation begins. The majority of people can cope with this level of sleep deprivation.
However, as sleep deprivation increases, staying awake also becomes extremely difficult. It also affects your cognitive function and reality perception.
Sleep is critical to almost every aspect of your health, and nothing shows this more clearly than how quickly your health can deteriorate after a few nights without rest. So it’s critical to prioritize a good night’s sleep.
Fortunately, sleep deprivation can be recovered or avoided with proper sleeping habits. If you’re still having trouble sleeping, make an appointment with your doctor.