Sleep- what a sweet word! Did you know that an average person spends at least one-third of his/her life sleeping? That means, if you’re 30, you have slept for over a decade. Just imagine, if we were free from this act of rest, humanity would have achieved a lot by now, we could have build a spaceship by the time the Wright brothers came up with the idea of an airplane or we could have perfected that bicycle kick before Wayne Rooney. However, sleep isn’t optional- If we choose to avoid, it quite literally is a suicide. The write up below is based on the 11 consecutive sleepless days by a teenager by the name of Randy Gardner in the year 1964 and my futile attempt to imitate it. I’ve myself forced my body to go sleepless for some time, 50 hrs to be exact. And I strongly recommend that nobody try it, well if not for research purposes.
If you are a regular sleeper, you will surely feel sleepy by the time you usually drift off (maybe around midnight) on day 1. But after time ticks a little further, contrary to our expectations, we would have a very positive effect. We would feel a surge of energy inside- would talk more and get more things done. And we would feel just happy for no reason at all. Even simple things would seem funny to us. Researchers also point out that, this phase will witness an increased sex drive. And there is a scientific explanation for this. The brain summons the neurotransmitter ‘dopamine’ to compensate for the lack of sleep, which in turn provides us with that outward push. However, these so-called ‘positive’ effects would only remain until the 24-hour mark.
After 24 hours, you will start experiencing a lack of memory retrieval and increased reaction time. And you will be more impulsive, making it quite difficult for you to judge your own decisions or plan something. People around would think that you might have had a few rounds of whiskey (from my personal experience).
After two days without sleep, the classic signs of sleep deprivation will come into the light. The body will stop metabolizing glucose, consequently draining out the energy. This would also reflect in our physical appearance, making us look pale. At this stage, your immune system would be compromised as well. Frequent nauseating is also common at this phase. And our speech might get a bit dizzy as well.
It is after 3–4 days, that things get totally out of hands (for some, it might take a few more days). A total lack of REM sleep will let dreams infiltrate your reality. As a result, you will start hallucinating. During this stage, it is possible that you see an elephant in your classroom or hear Albert Einstein talk to you. You will also feel a constant irritation throughout your body. Most of the people, if it is an option, would surely choose a comfy bed over a million dollars at this phase. Each passing the condition worsens. There surely is a subjective factor to these symptoms. There are records of people who died of strokes as a result of not sleeping for 48 hours and there is Randy Gardner, who didn’t sleep for 11 days.
Researchers are of the opinion that the human body can survive with no sleep for a maximum of 3 weeks. But by the time, they reach 2 weeks, it would be difficult to even categorize them as humans. So, having a good sleep isn’t a waste of time by any means. In fact, letting your brain and body take a time off and recharge is the best gift we can offer them.
I hope you haven’t slept throughout the article…
And if you are feeling sleepy, don’t hesitate to take a nap…
