How many people can stay awake, what will happen if you don’t fall asleep for 7

We all know: in order to feel vigorous and healthy, you need to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. This is confirmed by numerous studies, including recent work by scientists from Tulane University in New Orleans (USA). Experts conducted a large-scale observation, which involved more than 400 thousand people aged 37 to 73 years. Most of them were healthy, and only a small percentage of the participants in the experiment were diagnosed with heart disease. At the same time, all these people also experienced problems with sleep: some were tormented by insomnia, some could not sleep due to their own snoring, and others simply could not get enough sleep. Based on the results of the study, scientists came to the conclusion that sleep affects not only well-being and health, but also a person’s life expectancy.

And, of course, the classic 7-8 hours also appears here - this is exactly how much sleep, according to American researchers, you need to sleep in order to live long and stay healthy. However, in the modern rhythm of life, sound and long sleep has long become a luxury. What happens if you don't get enough sleep all the time? And what if you can’t sleep 7-8 hours?

The role of sleep for the body

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of sleep for the full functioning of a person and the functioning of body systems. Since childhood, everyone has heard about the need for sleep; in kindergarten they practiced regular “quiet hours”. With age, the routine changes, less time is spent on sleep, but does the need for it decrease?

Sleep allows every cell to rest and relax. During this period, useful processes occur:

strengthening the immune system;
regulation of hormonal levels;
stabilization of physical and mental health;
strengthening neural connections that contribute to brain development;
lowering cholesterol levels;
regeneration of damaged tissues and cells;
restoration of wasted strength and energy.

This period is characterized by structuring and analysis of information received during the day. Night rest contributes to its decomposition “on the shelves”. Therefore, many schoolchildren and students study educational material before going to bed.

Sleep regulates weight. During insomnia, hormones are released that increase appetite. People suffering from insomnia are more likely to be overweight

Days without sleep

As people grow older, they sleep less: a newborn baby spends up to 20 hours dreaming in the first weeks of life; by the age of one year, this mark is 14 hours. An adult needs 7–8 hours to get enough sleep. Everyone sets the duration of their rest, which is influenced by work, routine, well-being, and temperament.

Therefore, for one, 9 hours is not enough to feel cheerful, while for another, 4–5 hours are enough to restore vitality (a striking example of this is Napoleon, who slept 4 hours a day). In pursuit of achieving a goal (writing a report, passing a coursework, preparing for an exam), many sacrifice rest, rarely wondering what will happen if they don’t sleep for 1 night.

For many, 24 hours of wakefulness pass without harm, for some there are visible deviations in behavior:

someone literally “falls asleep while walking,” loses strength, and becomes despondent;
others become more active, show increased vigor and vigorous activity;
some are distinguished by anger, hysteria and aggressiveness, which is usually not observed in their usual life.

This is not such a radical phenomenon and a person can get used to not sleeping at night, especially if it is necessary for work: workers according to the “every three days” scheme know that they cannot sleep the whole night, so the body gradually adapts. The logical consequence of this routine is to sleep throughout the next day.

REFERENCE! It has been proven that without harm to health, the number of hours without sleep should not exceed 20. Otherwise, disastrous consequences cannot be avoided.

Directly at night

The preparation is done, the remaining 50% of success is the simple rules described below. The maximum effect will be noticeable if you adhere to their entire complex. The more of them you do, the better you will feel.

Don't get addicted to caffeine

We've already talked about why you shouldn't get too carried away with caffeinated drinks. But there is no point in denying that they are capable of slightly increasing activity. In this matter, clear restrictions are needed - you can drink a cup of coffee in the evening, until 23:00 . It is strictly forbidden to drink energy drinks and coffee throughout the night. At best, you will look like a robot. At worst, you will get serious health problems.

Drink more water

But drinking water in unlimited quantities is the best option. Water is the source of life for any creature. And a person needs it most of all on a sleepless night. Water awakens the body, makes it actively function, all organs and systems work as normal. Regular drinking of water stimulates the brain to be active. A person relieves himself naturally, warming up and distracting himself from drowsiness; his nervous activity continues to work at night.

Move more

Have you noticed that when you are in one position for a long time, your body begins to relax and drowsiness occurs? This is a big problem during a sleepless night, when the body does nothing but wait for any signal to rest at night. Therefore, while working, regularly get up, walk, move from room to room so that your body does not relax.

Many create a work area near them, where they have everything they need - water, snacks, necessary documents, laptop and phone. Then there is a possibility of spending the whole night in one place, which will reduce a person’s performance. Place a carafe of water in the kitchen so that you can regularly get up, leave the work area, and move. You can do a light warm-up at regular intervals to keep your muscles toned. And you definitely need to give your eyes a break from the phone or laptop screen. A few minutes of eye exercises will maintain visual function at the proper level.

Two days of wakefulness

What happens if you don’t sleep for 2 days? For an unprepared body, two days will have a negative impact on health and well-being. The following processes are launched:

changes in blood pressure;
defocus of attention;
low absorption of information;
lack of coordination;
deterioration of hearing and vision;
attacks of nausea and headache.

During this period, metabolism is often disrupted, and a person is exposed to viral diseases. Speech slows down and articulate pronunciation is impaired. Often this condition ends with involuntary falling asleep. A week of systematic lack of sleep reduces intellectual abilities by 15%, and the risk of premature death also increases. Insomnia increases the risk of depression by 30%.

Third day without sleep

The sensations will remain the same, but 3 days without sleep will lead to unexpected consequences in the form of chills, fever, nervous tics, complete loss of appetite, and vomiting. After several days in this mode, a person begins to wrap himself in all the rugs and blankets that are in the house. Stupor was often noted, expressed in the immobilization of the body and the gaze directed at one point. At this moment, individuals are not in control of the situation and may not perceive information from the outside.

There are attacks of “microsleep” - a state when the brain turns off consciousness for a certain period of time (from 1 second to 1 minute or more)

What happens if you don't sleep for 7 days?

After only 5 days of such a “suspended” state, irreversible destructive processes begin: neural connections weaken, brain cells are destroyed, even the most intense speech is replaced by primitive and monosyllabic speech. Logic and mental activity do not allow solving even a basic example.

If you don’t sleep for a week, they will definitely come to visit you:

hallucinations (audio or visual), delusions;
paranoia;
tremor of the limbs;
panic attacks accompanied by cold sweat and rapid heartbeat.

If someone manages to resist dozing and continues to stay awake for 7 days in a row, there is no longer any need to talk about the functioning of the brain: its main areas have gone into “offline mode.” If you don’t sleep for a long time, the consequences will affect not only the internal organs, but will also make themselves obvious - a person literally ages before our eyes! Paleness, dullness and sagging skin are complemented by dark circles under the eyes. It has been experimentally proven that the body no longer resists infections and germs.

How long does it take to stay awake to die?

To die, for many it is enough to cross the line of 7-8 days. As a person, a person no longer exists; his body is subject to convulsions and memory loss. If he does not fall asleep, death will be the logical conclusion of such executions.

But death can come earlier. Few are able to withstand more than 5–6 days without sleep. After how many days the person begins to die depends on the exhaustion of the body at the start of the experiment and on health indicators. The chance of living for a long time without sleep is especially small for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

REFERENCE! A person should sleep 248 hours per month. In a year, people tend to sleep 2888 hours (subject to a daily 8-hour rest) or 120 days. It is estimated that the average person spends about 25 years of his life sleeping.

Scientific experiments

The subjects repeatedly amazed not only the general public, but also the scientists who conducted the experiments. There are several examples that demonstrate that it is possible to stay awake for very long periods of time.

American neurophysiologist Nathaniel Kleitman conducted an experiment on himself. He hypothesized that hallucinations are dreams in the REM phase. Using an electroencephalogram, he recorded that up to 5 days the brain is still fighting for the right to rest and recovery.
To extend the time of activity, military doctors use psychostimulants for special forces soldiers. The subject remains awake for several days, but after stopping the medication, severe physical and mental exhaustion is observed.
In 1965, 17-year-old Randy Gardner set a record and did not sleep for more than 10 days. The Guinness Book of Records holder was Tony Wright, who did not sleep for 275 hours.
Experiments with animals show that deprivation increases the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that slows down the regeneration of brain cells. Drowsy states, which are a temporary mental disorder, have been noted.

During the Inquisition, sleep deprivation was used as torture. With a clouded consciousness, any information could be obtained. In the NKVD of the USSR, interrogations lasted for days, after which people simply went crazy.

How to recover after several sleepless days

It's actually very simple - get enough sleep. Moreover, even after sleeping for only 8 hours, a person will fully recover and all unpleasant symptoms will disappear. Both Randy Gardner and Tony Wright, having rested and slept well after the experiment, felt good, and Gardner spoke to reporters the next day and spoke without any hesitation, and he looked great.

But this does not mean that you can conduct such experiments on yourself constantly - the consequences will be very serious. These include hormonal imbalance, cardiac pathologies, etc. of course, mental disorders.

Source https://www.medsovet.info/

Life without sleep or phenomena in history

It's hard to believe, but there are several people who don't sleep at all. Yakov Tsiperovich, who experienced clinical death, stopped sleeping. At first he was very bothered by insomnia, but now his body has gotten used to it. There are no health problems observed (except for low temperature). At the same time, it seems as if old age has canceled the meeting with him: in the photographs, the 43-year-old Belarusian looks the same as he did at 25.

Vietnamese Ngoc Thai has not slept for more than 40 years after suffering from a fever. Alcohol and pills did not help to plunge into the kingdom of Morpheus. But this does not prevent him from feeling good at 77 years old.

People whose insomnia is the result of pathological processes in the brain know firsthand how many days you can go without sleeping. Morvan's disease is no less mysterious. Patients with this diagnosis, in the absence of brain damage, may not sleep at all for several months. We know of at least 13 people from all over the world whose lives are deprived of such an important component as sleep.

Some people are not used to complaining about a new circumstance in their lives. And others honestly admit that this condition is exhausting, making you feel like a plant without water. Their whole life has now become one endless day without the opportunity to plunge into carefree bliss.

To summarize, you can without hesitation give a negative answer to the question of whether it is possible not to sleep (unless, of course, you are one of the unique individuals with lifelong insomnia). Everyone has their own maximum time without sleep, but you shouldn’t test your body’s strength. He already has enough daily stress and stress, and he may simply not be able to withstand another test.

Methods to combat chronic sleep deprivation

To get rid of constant lack of sleep, if we are not talking about chronic neurological diseases, you can follow a few simple rules:

Try to create a daily routine according to your work or study schedule. Set a bar for yourself by what time you must go to bed and what time you wake up. You may not be able to fall asleep right away - that’s okay, lie relaxed in bed, close your eyes, don’t think about problems, you can do some auto-training. Soon you will develop a habit.
Daily walks in the fresh air have a beneficial effect on healthy sleep. But you shouldn’t overload yourself with excessive physical activity, such as exercise machines or fitness, before going to bed. It is recommended to engage in this type of sport 6 hours before bedtime.
Prepare a comfortable sleeping place and a well-ventilated area. The temperature in the bedroom is very important. It should not be higher than 23˚С and not lower than 16˚С. It is advisable to sleep without unnecessary noise and irritants.
Proper balanced nutrition during the day and before bed in particular plays an important role. Don't overeat at night. Fatty, high-calorie foods negatively affect the quality of sleep. You should not overindulge in sweets. Fast carbohydrates charge the body with energy and encourage action. But, as we know, falling asleep on an empty stomach is also harmful. This fact should not be ignored. If you have an appetite before bed or during sleep, eat something light - a fruit or vegetable, a slice of whole grain bread.
After lunch you should avoid consuming: alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine. These tonics, as well as various energy drinks, will interfere with healthy, sound sleep.
Try to avoid stressful situations in the evening. Learn not to overreact to problems that cannot be resolved right now. Put off these tasks and showdowns until the morning.
Try to create the most comfortable and relaxing environment in your bedroom. Fresh air, a cozy sleeping place, quiet slow music.
You should not get carried away with sleeping pills, which will give you results only for a while, and then addiction will set in and the dose will have to be increased. Herbal medicine, or aroma candles, for example, would be much better.
You should also give up the computer in the evening. In the evening we are surrounded by a lot of temptations. An interesting game, correspondence with peers, calls. Time flies by very quickly on the Internet. As a result, we go to bed late and get up early. Constant lack of sleep. There is a shift in the body's biorhythm. Leads to insomnia.