The human body is like a clearly programmed mechanism. So many times a day you need to eat, drink, and sleep so many hours. Everything is clear with food and drink. Food charges us with energy and serves as building material for cells. Water is necessary to maintain fluid balance in the body and carry out metabolic processes.
Scientists are just trying to figure out why we need sleep and what happens to our consciousness in this state. Over the past decades, researchers at various levels have been interested in how long a person can live without sleep without harm to health and what the consequences of long-term forced insomnia may be.
Animal experiments
Experimental somnology was born in the 19th century. Its founder was a Russian woman, doctor Maria Mikhailovna Manaseina. In her practice, she encountered the death of a patient from insomnia that lasted nine days, and decided to conduct experiments on animals to find out the meaning of sleep for a living organism. Manaseina and her assistants forced puppies at the age of two to three months to stay awake, influencing them with caresses and touches until they died of fatigue - usually this happened after five to six days. If the puppies were deprived of food but allowed to sleep, they lived an average of 25 days. So it became clear that sleep is absolutely necessary to ensure the vital functions of the body.
Then similar experiments were carried out on rats: “carousels” were built for them, which did not allow them to sleep, and in case of the slightest drowsiness, the rodents were thrown into the water. When the animals died from artificially induced insomnia three weeks later, their bodies were opened and all sorts of damage was discovered: the presence of liquid exudate in the lungs and trachea, stomach ulcers, internal hemorrhages, etc. About a day before the death of the rodent, the encephalogram showed a drop in amplitude, and, even if the experiment was terminated, the animal could not fall asleep and inevitably died. This drop in EEG amplitude indicated irreversible disturbances in brain function caused by sleep deprivation.
University of Chicago professor Alan Rechtshaffen, who conducted experiments on rats in the 1980s, discovered three main effects of chronic total sleep deprivation: metabolic, immune and hormonal. From insomnia, the rats lost weight, although they ate even more than usual, and quickly became susceptible to infections. Microbes penetrated the circulatory system and internal organs, which are usually sterile, and as a result the animals died from sepsis.
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Consequences of long-term insomnia
During the study of the nature of sleep, various experiments were carried out. Among them are those aimed at studying the consequences of insomnia. Scientists have found that recurring serious sleep disturbances cause:
- weakened immunity;
- metabolic failures;
- disruption of internal organs;
- nervous tension;
- memory impairment.
If a person is deliberately forced not to sleep for a long time, he begins to develop more serious health problems. Concentration disappears and short-term memory deteriorates. Exhausted by lack of sleep, the brain is less able to record events happening around it. It is more difficult for a person to concentrate on anything.
If the process is delayed even further, hallucinations may occur. The person seems to be dreaming in reality. In the history of world wars, sleep deprivation torture was often carried out. At the same time, the prisoners of war completely lost concentration and actively hallucinated.
However, it is not at all necessary to be captured in order to experience such a state. Truck drivers working to the limit often see things on the road that do not exist in nature. This is called "seeing a black dog."
Experienced drivers always warn newcomers: if visions begin to appear, stop and get some sleep! Otherwise, you can pass out while driving and get into an accident. Hallucinations are the last cry of an exhausted body for help.
Inhumane experiments on humans
By the time Rechtschaffen dissected animals killed by insomniacs, people had already set several records for survival without sleep. One of the first was radio host from New York, 33-year-old Peter Tripp: as part of a “sleepless marathon,” he stayed awake for eight days live, broadcasting from a glass booth in Times Square. True, out of 201 hours of forced insomnia, he spent 66 hours doping (taking the stimulant drug Ritalin). On the third day, Tripp became emotionally unstable, on the fourth, he could not pass attention tests, and then he began to experience hallucinations and paranoia. He imagined insects in the stains on the table, spiders in his shoes, and a murderous undertaker in the doctor. At one point, he even insisted that he was not Peter Tripp, but perhaps this was not the effect of insomnia, but of a maintenance drug. After spending eight days without sleep, the showman did not die, but after sleeping off, he lived to be 73 years old. But, as his family said, after the marathon Tripp became completely different: more irritable and depressed. The experiments did not end there. The Guinness Book of Records includes the American Randy Gardner, who in 1963 spent 264 hours and 30 minutes without sleep. The young man was 17 years old and took part in an experiment led by researchers from Stanford University. Project supervisor John Ross said the teenager's mental abilities and behavior changed: he quickly became angry and moody, could not concentrate, and soon began to hallucinate and paranoia, like Tripp. For example, on the fourth day, Randy imagined himself to be a different person - a participant in the annual American football game. The street sign seemed alive to him. On the last day, he was unable to complete a math test for sequentially subtracting the number 7 from 100. Having reached 65, he fell silent and, when asked about the reason for stopping, replied that he had forgotten what he was doing. However, on the last day, Randy successfully held a press conference and his record was counted. Gardner had a number of followers, and the record was broken within two weeks. But representatives of the Guinness Book of Records stated that they would not register any more such experiments, as this could pose a threat to human health.
However, this warning did not stop people. In February 1964, Finn Toimi Soini spent 276 hours without sleep. The Englishman Tony Wright, who in 2007 did not sleep for 266 hours while competing with Gardner, did not know about this.
Some sources mention the maximum record without sleep: 18 days and 17 hours. It was installed by a British woman from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, in April 1977. A woman stayed awake for 449 hours during a rocking chair marathon. But this was not a scientific experiment; no one stood over her with instruments and measured the EEG. Therefore, one cannot be sure that she did not take a nap for a minute or two in almost 19 days. Gardner's record of 11 days remains a documented example of human survival without sleep.
How does sleep affect the body?
First of all, sleep is rest for the body; it promotes the processing and storage of information. During deep sleep, growth hormone - somatotropin - is produced. Sleep develops cognitive abilities, increases stress resistance, concentration, and improves the immune system.
How much sleep you need depends on the individual, but a healthy regimen involves seven to eight hours of sleep (however, many people want to sleep more in winter). Scientists from Tulane University in New Orleans believe that this duration can reduce the likelihood of developing heart failure by up to 42%.
This natural need of the body cannot be ignored for other reasons. Lack of sleep negatively affects brain function, worsens mood, and leads to a decrease in immunity and the effectiveness of vaccinations. The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity increases. The risk of developing certain cancers, including colon and breast cancer, increases in women. Muscle atrophy may begin.
Experts from Pennsylvania State University have found that sleeping less than six hours a night leads to dehydration, which causes headaches. The reason is a disruption in the production of vasopressin, a hormone that is not only responsible for maintaining fluid in the body, but is also involved in the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. This deficiency is due to poor health due to lack of sleep. The study was published in the journal Sleep.
Sleep disturbances, which often affect older people, are also dangerous. Older adults who sleep six hours or less per night are at increased risk of developing dementia and other cognitive diseases. This was discovered by scientists from Stanford University.
Can a person die from lack of sleep?
Don't try to repeat these records! Doctors know that lack of sleep is extremely harmful to the body and can even lead to death. About 40 families in the world suffer from a rare incurable hereditary disease - fatal familial insomnia. This genetic prion disease is accompanied by the formation of amyloid plaques in the thalamus (the part of the brain responsible for sleep) and sooner or later leads to total sleep deprivation. Severe insomnia, panic attacks, hallucinations end in complete degradation of the personality: the person stops speaking and does not react to the environment, and then dies. The disease, first described 40 years ago, lasts 7–36 months. There is still no treatment, and only gene therapy could help, but it is not yet approved for ethical reasons. As well as experiments on long-term sleep deprivation.
Why is sleep important?
What happens to a person when he does not sleep? Remember the basic functions of sleep and you will understand what will happen if we deprive our body of it. When we get enough sleep, we feel great - and for good reason. According to the somnologist, important processes occur during sleep:
- restoration and rest of the whole body;
- immune function, antibody production;
- memory formation;
- cognitive development (perception, memory, logic);
- development of stress resistance;
- accumulation of energy and strength.
How does lack of sleep affect productivity and training?
Farmer D. Jones
At the end of the 19th century, doctors recorded an interesting case of absolute insomnia. Farmer D. Jones turned to specialists because he had problems sleeping, but was not at all upset about it, and was even glad to have the opportunity to work more. So, at the time of his first visit to the doctors, he spent 3 months without sleep, after which everything returned to normal. But a year later there was a new attack. This time Jones did not sleep for 131 days. Subsequent attacks occurred more frequently and insomnia lasted longer. This had no effect on the man’s health and well-being, which surprised the doctors.
If insomnia does not go away as completely for you as it does for some participants in the experiments, urgently start looking for ways to solve the problem! A prolonged condition like this is not normal and can be extremely dangerous. Sleep disturbances arise due to a number of reasons and in order to normalize the situation, they should be eliminated.
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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)
Randy Gardner
The official world record for insomnia belongs to a 17-year-old student from California, Randy Gardner. In 1965, a guy was able to stay awake for 264 hours and 12 minutes - that's 11 whole days. Throughout this time, Randy had two of his friends with him: Bruce McAllister and Joe Marciano. They alternately distracted him, not letting him fall asleep, and tested his condition. Initially, they were going to present the results of the experiment to a science fair. But Stanford University researcher William K. Dement learned about the experiment. He flew in to observe the experiment with his own eyes.
Randy Gardner during an experiment.
Every day it became more and more difficult, it was especially difficult not to close my eyes at night. There were even moments when Gardner lost interest in the experiment and was about to end it. On the 4-5th day the guy became irritable and began to hallucinate. After enduring insomnia for 11 days, Randy Gardner fell asleep in a sleep research laboratory for 14 hours and 40 minutes and woke up practically healthy. It turns out that, having lost about 90 hours of sleep, Randy slept only 7 hours longer than usual.
Despite the successful outcome, Randy’s mental abilities at the time of the record were significantly deteriorating, although physical activity remained. William K. Dement notes that on the 10th day without sleep, Gardner could easily beat him at paintball. However, the creators of the Guinness Book of Records decided to remove this category from the competition so that people do not harm their health.
When an elderly relative ceases to be adequate...
If a loved one has senile dementia, what should relatives do, and how can they understand that this is a disease and not ordinary whims? Most often, dementia begins quite harmlessly. A person may complain to relatives and neighbors that they are not feeding him, they are watching him, they are trying to kidnap him, or they are letting some substances or gases into his room or apartment. This might seem funny if it weren't so sad. The disease progresses quite quickly, and over time, older people stop recognizing family members, accuse them of theft or violence, bring home garbage from the landfill, and literally fight with anyone who tries to throw it away. Some people think that dementia will not affect those who have been engaged in active mental activity all their lives. The disease does not choose, and even a doctor of science or an honored leader can be found in a garbage dump, enthusiastically digging through waste.
There is no need to think that the patient is doing this on purpose, just to mock and laugh at his loved ones. This disease destroys the brain, and the patient is not even aware of his actions. The person loses the ability to absorb or process information. He becomes very sensitive to criticism: any remark or attempt to explain something leads to protest and a new attack. How to deal with a person with dementia? Relatives will have to show maximum patience and attention, not contradict, or explain something gently and unpersistently. If the patient feels aggression, he will begin to perceive his family as enemies, and it will be very difficult to establish contact with him.
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
Correct mode
The correct duration of rest varies depending on the age of the person, but the optimal time needed for proper rest is 8 hours a day. It has been noted that the time for sleep decreases over the years and after 40 years, people need only 6 to 7 hours of deep sleep.
There is also the concept of “correct sleep mode,” in which a person goes to bed at a strictly established and biologically correct time. Ideally, this time begins at 10 pm and lasts until 5-6 am. But with the modern pace of life, it is impossible to adhere to such a routine. Therefore, going to bed at 11 o’clock at night, a person wakes up at 7 am and receives complete rest, after which performance and well-being increase.
In medicine, there is an unofficial science dedicated to properly organized sleep, because a good night's rest is a very important factor in life. Science knows cases when people simply could not fall asleep or rest was restless, which resulted in chronic lack of sleep and, as a consequence, multiple complications in the form of the development of diseases.
Why can a person go without sleep for a long time?
Help reduce sleep duration and stay alert:
- Cold air or water. Under such conditions, the body becomes more active and tries to maintain normal body temperature.
- Physical activity. Intense movements improve blood circulation, saturate tissues with oxygen and glucose, and give new strength and energy.
- Hunger. After eating you always feel lethargic and drowsy.
- Intense noise. Loud fast music, voices, etc.
- Bright light. This is a signal for the body that it is time to wake up.
- Uncomfortable position. Hard chair or standing position.
Chemical stimulants (caffeine and similar substances) keep you alert for a short time (2-3 hours).
Unique unknown
The name of the next ranking participant is unknown. There is only evidence that once a 70-year-old woman came to the sleep laboratory. She claimed that she sleeps no more than 4 hours a day throughout her life.
In the course of research, it was found that a woman’s brain is characterized by increased productivity. He reached stages 3 and 4 of slow-wave sleep faster than usual, and after an hour and a half he entered REM sleep for a short period. After this, slow deep sleep came again, and then fast sleep. Since this woman's brain was quickly jumping through stages 1 and 2, she only needed 4 hours to rest. She was completely healthy.
