Sleep Deprivation

[Zero]

Does anyone have any information on the long term detriments caused by frequent sleep deprivation? How far away from the norm of 8 hours of sleep a night do you have to be to cause significant damage? Is there any brain damage involved in long-term sleep deprivation?

[Jaepheth]

My sister tells a story of a DJ who wanted to set a world record for not sleeping, or something to that end. After 5+ days of no sleep, his personality was irreversibly altered.

Of course, that's hearsay, but wiki's article supports personality change as a side-effect, as well as dementia, diabetes and death.

Also, 8 hours is for an adult. Children and teenagers need 9 - 10 hours of sleep per day.

[Guardsman Bass]

This is just something I remember reading, but I think you need at least 4 hours of sleep a night as an adult, to avoid the major effects of sleep deprivation.

[Guardsman Bass]

Actually, nix what I just said above; I just remember hearing that from somewhere. According to this, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night to dodge the nasty effects of sleep deprivation, and adults who claim to only need 5-6 hours are fooling themselves.

[Shinova]

How does the personality change if sleep-deprived?

[Zero]

My sister tells a story of a DJ who wanted to set a world record for not sleeping, or something to that end. After 5+ days of no sleep, his personality was irreversibly altered.

Of course, that's hearsay, but wiki's article supports personality change as a side-effect, as well as dementia, diabetes and death.

Also, 8 hours is for an adult. Children and teenagers need 9 - 10 hours of sleep per day.

I went for seven days straight at least twice this summer, and as near as I can tell, I haven't had a significant personality change.

Are there any known long term effects on the heart? And does anyone have any information on how sleep deprivation can affect REM cycles during sleep?

[Noble Ire]

This is quite odd. Since September, I've been getting an average of 6 hours of sleep a night (more on weekends, perhaps 9 hours), and I have seen no regonizable physical impact (in fact, my health has improved in certain areas, although I would hardly attribute that to less sleep.)

[wolveraptor]

They recently did a study connecting adults who slept slightly less than the previously recomended hours to lower cancer risks. Of course, it was a low risk either way, so it didn't seem to make a difference, and the researchers couldn't find a mechanism. I'd heard it on the radio.

I'm guessing that personality changes occur due to brain damage. Certain hormones are released only during certain parts of the REM cycle. I'm supposing that these are necessary for acceptable development and performance.

[Guardsman Bass]

This is quite odd. Since September, I've been getting an average of 6 hours of sleep a night (more on weekends, perhaps 9 hours), and I have seen no regonizable physical impact (in fact, my health has improved in certain areas, although I would hardly attribute that to less sleep.)

The link I cited wasn't completely clear on what the major negative affects of getting less than 7-9 hours would be. I am in the same situation as you; I average about 6 hours of sleep on the weekdays, but not quite as much on the weekends - maybe 8 hours, tops.

I got even less in my senior year of high school, where I averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night on weekdays. I seemed to be okay, for the most part, although I did get a little tired in the afternoons.

[Winston Blake]

I went for seven days straight at least twice this summer, and as near as I can tell, I haven't had a significant personality change.

You probably had plenty of 'microsleeps' lasting less than a minute while you thought you had stayed awake constantly. AFAIK the world record was 8 days straight, then 9 (both DJs), and the current is 11. The 8-day guy was having hallucinations (ie dreaming while awake) after a few days and needed to be drugged to stay awake.

[Keevan_Colton]

My sister tells a story of a DJ who wanted to set a world record for not sleeping, or something to that end. After 5+ days of no sleep, his personality was irreversibly altered.

Of course, that's hearsay, but wiki's article supports personality change as a side-effect, as well as dementia, diabetes and death.

Also, 8 hours is for an adult. Children and teenagers need 9 - 10 hours of sleep per day.

There was a Radio One DJ that did about two and a half days straight IIRC as a charity stunt. I did stay with the show the entire time...

[Surlethe]

This is quite odd. Since September, I've been getting an average of 6 hours of sleep a night (more on weekends, perhaps 9 hours), and I have seen no regonizable physical impact (in fact, my health has improved in certain areas, although I would hardly attribute that to less sleep.)

Of course, the effects would differ from person to person; I can quite feel effects of less than seven hours of sleep, and if I get less than five, I have a very hard time waking up, feel hollowed out, my mind is far more clouded than if I get eight or nine, and I have trouble pursuing thought chains for more than several minutes at a time.

[Zero]

I went for seven days straight at least twice this summer, and as near as I can tell, I haven't had a significant personality change.

You probably had plenty of 'microsleeps' lasting less than a minute while you thought you had stayed awake constantly. AFAIK the world record was 8 days straight, then 9 (both DJs), and the current is 11. The 8-day guy was having hallucinations (ie dreaming while awake) after a few days and needed to be drugged to stay awake.

I was hallucinating. Had an interesting conversation with my wall on the sixth day. I actually couldn't sleep at that point, though. I was kind of freaked out. I basically passed out on the seventh day.

The microsleep thing makes sense.

[Sea Skimmer]

Is there any brain damage involved in long-term sleep deprivation?

You die from very long term sleep deprivation, though that is very rare, so brain damage seems likely.

[weemadando]

From personal experience.

24hrs without sleep - slowed reactions, dulled mental abilities.
36hrs without sleep - you feel a little better, perked up somewhat.
48hrs without sleep - crash after the high, you are flat out on the borderline of being unconcious.
72hrs without sleep - well, I was hallucinating by this point...

[CaptJodan]

I've only ever once been as sleep deprived as to make major changes to my personality (for that time, not all the time). Went two days in Germany without sleep before returning to the states. Never been able to sleep on planes, and that time was no exception.

My reaction was somewhat different than described. I didn't really start seeing things, but I did have this incredible urge to go on some kind of killing spree. When we landed, many of those aboard (I was with a group, and this was in High School) cheered. This bothered me a great deal, being extremely exhausted, and it took everything I had not to leap over the chair and bash some heads in.

Literally slept for 24 hours after that.

I have no desire to do that again.

[Guardsman Bass]

The longest I can remember going without sleep was once in high school, where I went about 3 days without sleep. I was completely crazy, although I didn't have any visual hallucinations; I kept making nonsensical remarks in my class, and various things started to connect humorously in strange ways. I also had a headache from hell.

[weemadando]

At the 72 hour mark I was lying down on a couch trying to get to sleep (I was dead tired, but couldn't sleep). A TV was on playing Sesame Street and I started having a "lucid dream" of sorts, while awake that I was in Sesame Street and all the characters were in the living room with me...

[Zero]

From personal experience.

24hrs without sleep - slowed reactions, dulled mental abilities.
36hrs without sleep - you feel a little better, perked up somewhat.
48hrs without sleep - crash after the high, you are flat out on the borderline of being unconcious.
72hrs without sleep - well, I was hallucinating by this point...

Yours seems to be a lot quicker version of what happened to me. I was tired as all fuck until about the third day, then I perked up a bit, almost passed out, and after the fourth day had passed, I was so wired that I couldn't get to sleep until day 7. Days 6 and 7 were filled with wacky hallucinations... I did it again a month later, because I was feeling bold, but I always get scared the fifth day, and generally am happy when I pass out on the 7th..

[Falkenhayn]

You guys are rediculous. My best is 27 hours. After 27 hours, I can't tie my god damn shoes let alone anything else.

[wolveraptor]

I've only ever pulled an 24 hr spree. It was during a school week, and I had severely procrastinated on my homework. I was on the verge of falling asleep in the middle of the morning (my head kept bobbing up and down), but after lunch, I became more lucid. Mind you, I do it the right way: without chemical help. You caffeine users are all cheaters.

[The Silence and I]

I've done 36 hours I think twice now, and the pattern is sort of like described about: I get steadily more tired until the 25 or so hour mark, then I'm wired and manic. Things are more fun, and even though my head feels heavy and my mind is foggy I feel liberated. Then around the 36 hour mark I start to pass out.

I pulled a long one recently, but I don't quite know how long it was--I think it was about 40 hours, maybe a little more. By the end of it I was literally seeing a driving snow storm--in doors. That was fun

I'm convinced I can go longer, but I'm not especially eager to try it soon.

[wilfulton]

I once did a 24 hour op in Al Kut, Iraq, it started in the morning with doing checkpoints, and went on through the night doing cordon and search operations. during that time I was standing up outside my HMMWV just to stay awake, and sometimes even then I was having problems. The sun was coming up before I finally got an opportunity to sleep.

One of the things I've noticed happening to me when I spend that long without sleep I start to easily get disoriented. And of course I become very forgetful, not always exactly sure of where I am, or what I'm doing.

As for how long a person can go without sleep, I don't really know, but when you're falling asleep standing up, I'd wager we meant/evolved to spend all night working.

[Alyeska]

About 36 hours is the longest I've ever gone. Basicaly you skip one nights worth of sleep and then go to bed like normal the next night. Ok, thats more like 40 hours.

Usualy by the time I get to the 30 hour mark I take a serious hit in cognitive capabilities. My brain power slowly returns, but at around the 40 hour mark my body is ready to drop dead simply from being tired.

[Metatwaddle]

I think I'd need a globe or something to figure out what mine was, since it was done while traveling from Australia back home to Delaware, which is in the Eastern time zone. Off the top of my head, though, I think I remember hearing a figure of 37 hours in travel for the trip, and then I was up for about 24 hours afterwards. It was the damnedest thing - I just could not fall asleep. I should have been exhausted, but I was wide awake. I have no idea why. So anyway, that totals... 61 hours? That sounds very high. Maybe I slept on the plane flights, but I don't think so.