Exactly what happens day-by-day to your brain if you stopped sleeping
It's safe to say that it's not recommended
Featured Image Credit: SanyaSM / Getty
Sleep is arguably the single most important part of everyone's daily routine no matter what you do, as while it's the only time during the day when you're completely inactive, it serves a vital function in keeping us up and running for the rest of our lives.
It would definitely be great if you didn't need to sleep though, as that would add around eight hours to your day, letting you do so much more with your time without the need to return to bed at the end of each day.
Scientists estimate that the average person spends around 30 years of their life asleep, but what exactly would happen if you never sleep again, and how destructive would it be to your body?
Thankfully those questions have been answered by The Infographics Show on YouTube, as they detail the day-by-day reality of how your body reacts to life without sleep, and it's not exactly a pretty sight.
Surprisingly your body can actually cope quite when if it goes without sleep for 24 hours, as while routine means that you're likely to feel tired around the same time every single day, your body is capable of powering through without too much of an issue.
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You'll be able to go to work without too much trouble, and all of your normal functions such as your hunger levels or mood will stay relatively the same, albeit with some degradation the further into the second day you go.
It's why staying up to study for a test or prep for a meeting or presentation at work the next day usually doesn't go too well though, as your brain uses sleep to retain and store information you've memorized.
Lack of sleep – especially over long periods of time – is linked to severe health conditions and risks later in life, so while this does seem like a way you can use to 'cheat' your body, it's very much not recommended.
This is where it starts to get really dangerous though, as even just one day longer without sleep or rest in any form can leave you vulnerable to a number of unpleasant side effects.
You'll first notice lower appetite levels, but these are quickly flipped around to the other extreme, as your body overproduces ghrelin – which stimulates hunger – and an underproduction of leptin – which informs your brain that your body is full – leads you to crave food.
Part of this as well is your body's desperate desire for any form of energy, as it's not able to recover through the traditional means of sleep. This will leave you craving high-calorie and unhealthy food, which is a gateway towards obesity and other major health risks.
Another major downside is that you'll find yourself lacking motivation and passion towards anything, whether it be your work, hobbies, or loved ones, leaving you detached from your life.
It also becomes nearly impossible to hold down a day job, especially if it involves physical activity, as you'll be absolutely exhausted and find even the smallest feats of strength a herculean task.
The lack of 'feel-good' chemicals in you brain will also likely enter you into a medical condition known as anhedonia which results in the inability to feel pressure, and this can even significantly affect your ability to function in social situations, appearing incredibly flat to others.
By the fourth day without sleep your mood swings will be severe and incredibly frequent, although you'll likely find yourself in a constant and deep depression.
Forcing yourself to eat results in extreme stomach pains and even nausea as your stomach just isn't prepared to deal with anything after you've neglected sleep, and your bowel movements will be unbelievably unpleasant — leaning towards the lower end of the Bristol Stool Chart.
You'll barely be able to walk, and stepping outside will feel like you're being blinded due to the increased sensitivity of your eyes.
Micro-naps will also start to become common, where you're involuntarily sent into a sleep at any moment that you rest during the day, as your brain effectively starts to shut down and this can last for anywhere between a few seconds and several minutes.
Your mood is at the worst that it can be by this point, and daily life becomes extremely perilous due to the severity and frequent nature of micro-naps that make normal functions like walking impossible.
Small cuts and injuries also can't properly heal due to the lack of sleep, which is especially frightening considering the increased risk you're putting yourself in simply by existing.
Hallucinations of the audio and visual variety start to occur by this point due to extreme sleep deprivation, and while they are brief at the start, they become more common and longer in length the more damaged your brain becomes.
You are likely to reach the point where it becomes difficult to tell life from fantasy, with false memories being created and the inability to full decipher what you're seeing in front of you.
Continuing to persist beyond this point makes death inevitable, and while some have managed to go beyond ten days without sleep for the purpose of experimentation, it's highly discouraged due to the inevitable and often irreversible damage to your health.