Sleep deprivation - What happens to the body?

What happens to the body during sleep deprivation?

What is sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation refers to the voluntary or involuntary deprivation of sleep. Sleep deprivation is thus clearly distinguishable from the term sleep disorders. Sleep disorders are described in medicine as non-restorative sleep. In sleep deprivation, the quality of sleep is primarily irrelevant; the term refers to a quantitative lack of sleep. In the Mister Sandman guide, we deal with this topic and clarify how important a high-quality mattress is, which is also affordable for ensuring restorative sleep.

How important is sleep?

Most people know that the vital basic elements include air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. But even without sleep on the right mattress, people can only live for a limited time. Prolonged sleep deprivation can therefore be fatal. Sleeping is even more important than food. Before the supply of nutrients is so low that vital organs fail, the body can survive for up to two months. Here is a brief overview of how long people can survive without the 4 basic elements on average:

without air: 5 minutes
without drinking water: 4 to 5 days
without sleep: about 14 days
without food: about 60 days

How much sleep does a person actually need?

Permanent sleep deprivation harms health and can be fatal. Therefore, choosing a suitable mattress as a sleeping surface in life is essential. But how much sleep does a person need to stay healthy? The individual sleep requirement depends on various factors. Not everyone is the same; some people do very well with relatively little sleep, while others need more sleep than average. Generally, it can be said that the required sleep time per day decreases with advancing age. Newborns and babies therefore need particularly much sleep, while adults and seniors manage with significantly less. It should also be mentioned that sleep is a cyclical need. This means that sleep cannot be "stored." Those who sleep significantly more than necessary one night and then stay awake the next night feel just as tired afterward as someone who slept normally before. A regular and consistent sleep rhythm is therefore necessary for optimal health. Which mattress is the best companion for your sleep, you can find out in our free and individual mattress consultation from Mister Sandman.

Overview of required average sleep duration

The following values represent the recommended daily hours of sleep by the National Health Foundation:

Baby (0-3 months): 14 to 17 hours
Infant (4-11 months): 12 to 15 hours
Toddler (1-2 years): 11 to 14 hours
Preschool age (3-5 years): 10 to 13 hours
Early school years (6-13 years): 9 to 11 hours
Teenagers (14-17 years): 8 to 10 hours
Young adults (18-25 years): 7 to 9 hours
Adults (26-64 years): 7 to 9 hours
Seniors (65 years and older): 7 to 8 hours

Effects - What happens during sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation manifests itself through a variety of physical symptoms, but it also has enormous effects on our psyche and can even cause severe hallucinations. The symptoms change with the advancing time of sleep deprivation. The longer the sleep deprivation lasts, the more extreme the symptoms become. Initially, sleep deprivation is noticeable through fatigue and lethargy. The body is supposed to be reminded by these naturally occurring warning signals that sleep is now needed. If one continues to stay awake, this phase of fatigue eventually ends, and the actual sleep deprivation begins. Initially, a feeling of euphoria occurs, similar to the state after moderate alcohol consumption. One feels intoxicated and hyper. This is due to an excessive release of the happiness hormone dopamine in the brain. As its effect diminishes, the physical and psychological effects gradually become apparent. For this reason, sufficient sleep per night is incredibly important. Whether on a cold foam mattress, gel mattress or latex mattress - the right mattress is a prerequisite for healthy sleep.

Physical effects of sleep deprivation

Overview of possible physiological consequences of sleep deprivation:

The immune system reduces its function due to sleep deprivation. There is an increased risk of infectious diseases.
With prolonged sleep deprivation, the risk of heart disease increases.
Sleep deprivation causes muscle pain, muscle twitches, and uncontrolled shaking.
With lack of sleep, reaction times and reaction accuracy deteriorate.
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to growth disorders.
A restricted metabolism due to lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity.
Sleep deprivation can cause water retention.
Due to lack of sleep, dark circles appear under the eyes.
Intense yawning accompanies sleep deprivation.
Due to sleep deprivation, body temperature decreases.

Psychological effects of sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation causes symptoms that are similar to those of a psychosis, ADHD, or intoxication. These symptoms can range from phases of temporary euphoria to pronounced hallucinations. Overview of possible psychological effects of sleep deprivation:

Hallucinations
Increased irritability and aggressiveness
Reduced cognitive performance
Limited performance of short-term memory
Memory gaps and memory loss

Sleep deprivation as a topic of sleep research

Sleep deprivation and sleep withdrawal significantly harm health in the long term. A large part of the population in Germany also suffers from sleep disorders, meaning poor quality sleep. A reason for this can be an unsuitable mattress. Therefore, the choice of the right sleep surface is so important. Sleep withdrawal, sleep deprivation, and sleep disorders are thus major dangers to health and therefore an important topic in medicine and research. The search is aimed at gaining knowledge about sleep and the consequences of sleep deprivation. The sleep rhythm is usually controlled by the human internal clock. If this clock is thrown out of balance, sleep disorders occur. Even if the internal clock is knowingly thrown off rhythm, this can have serious consequences. Study after study and a multitude of experiments deal with the research of sleep and the consequences of sleep withdrawal. In this context, subjects are usually monitored in a sleep lab. The world record for voluntary sleep deprivation stands at 266 hours. However, most subjects often show such serious symptoms after just 3 days that sleep becomes absolutely necessary.

Sleep deprivation as therapy for depression

People with depression often suffer from leaden fatigue, lack of drive, and lethargy. Constantly circling thoughts in depression from depressed patients, however, prevent them from achieving restful sleep. Patients with depression often hide in their bedrooms to finally find the longed-for sleep, which is usually not possible for a long time due to the depressive thoughts. Thus, patients with depression are trapped in a vicious cycle. The so-called wake therapy was developed for the treatment of depressed patients based on knowledge from sleep research. In wake therapy, depressed patients are subjected to conscious sleep deprivation. In the treatment of depression through sleep deprivation, the elevated mood after a night of sleep deprivation is utilized. Sometimes, patients are also allowed to sleep only a portion of the night and are awakened for the second portion of the night. However, since sleep deprivation initially causes strong fatigue, the treatment of depression is conducted in groups to prevent them from falling asleep. This way, patients can distract each other, watch TV together, or engage in light exercise. The next day, the symptoms of depression are often significantly improved. Important in the treatment of depression through sleep deprivation is that on the day after sleep deprivation, no sleep is actually allowed, as depression becomes immediately present again even after just a short sleep.

Sleep deprivation as a method of torture

Sleep deprivation lasting longer than 96 hours is considered torture. After this time, it can be assumed that the effects of sleep deprivation have lasting impacts on the health of both body and mind. As a method of torture, enforced sleep deprivation is particularly popular among intelligence agencies, as it can lead to significant impairments in thinking after a short period, but the sleep deprivation is almost undetectable later on. Sleep deprivation was also a very popular method of torture in prisons in the USA and the Soviet Union to break the will of detainees.