Lack of sleep kills. Here are the consequences of lack of sleep

Last update May 31, 2023 at 03:49 am

There are many benefits when you sleep regularly. In this post, discover the consequences of lack of sleep.

We have all known those around us who are long sleepers and others who sleep little. But there is a 3rd category.

This is the category of those who are able to sacrifice a large part of their sleep time for the activities they are passionate about.

In this article, we will talk about the consequences of lack of sleep and by examples, show how lack of sleep can kill.

First let's start with the consequences.

Lack of sleep kills. Here are the consequences of lack of sleep

The harmful effects of lack of sleep are very quickly felt as soon as you sleep less than usual.

In this section, we will describe as an indication what can be expected from the first bad night spent without sleep.

According to Philippe Beaulieu, doctor and co-author of “Sleep without medication or herbal teas”:

“At the end of a sleepless night appear problems of concentration, attention and management of emotions. Anger, anxiety or exasperation are particularly amplified and felt more frequently. “

All these symptoms already do a lot from the first day. But what happens after 3 sleepless nights?

“From three days without sleep, you can be subject to moments of confusion, paranoia, amnesia and even hallucinations”.

Yes!!! According to Philipe Beaulieu, 3 days are enough to have the behavior of a mental patient who sees people walking on the ceiling… (Well, I'm exaggerating a bit!!).

Not sleeping for 3 days is very dangerous for the body.

The people who died of it are those who tried to exceed this limit. Still don't dare.

We will not be responsible for anything that happens to you if you deprive yourself of sleep.

What happens to our body after 3 sleepless nights

Randy Gardner in 1965

In 1965, Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old American, participated in a sleep research experiment and went 11 days without sleep. At the end of the experiment, he slept for 14 hours and took several weeks to recover.

Details of the experiments can be read in wikipedia (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Gardner_(record_holder)).

Euros 2012

In 2012, a 26-year-old Chinese decided to watch all the Euro 2012 matches.

After 11 days without sleep, he went home, fell asleep, never to wake up again.

There is no formal evidence that scientifically proves that lack of sleep is the cause of his death.

One thing is certain, we cannot completely rule out this hypothesis.

My experience

In 2020, I worked for 3 days on a project and only slept for 4 hours a day.

I ended up with a vertigo that does not say its name.

To go into detail about the consequences of lack of sleep on me, I was in a situation where every time I manage to stand, I collapse or forget how to walk.

It took me several weeks of total rest to recover.

A doctor said "If you don't have time to exercise, you will have time to get sick" I couldn't find the citation Exact but it's a few things like that.

In my case, this applies very well to the lack of sleep.

No needs. Even poor sleep can have the same consequences.

You also have to be very careful with energy drinks and coffee. It is not because you manage to last several nights sleeping less than 6 hours of time that you can live like this.

After this misadventure, I stopped taking energy drinks for fun. ( laugh )

There may be times when you have to sacrifice your sleep to survive. In this kind of case remember that it is also at the risk of your health that you pose this action.