The 5 Stages of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is an integral part of a human being as it allows the body to heal and refresh itself. Recommended time to sleep for adults is between 7 to 8 hours each night. Sleep deprivation occurs when you sleep less than the recommended time. This can result in fatal health issues. This article will look at five stages of sleep deprivation.

Stage 1: After 24 Hours

Missing 24 hours of sleep may have minor repercussions on an individual’s health. However, fatigue and lack of energy occur. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) equates 24-hour sleep deprivation to a 0.10 percent blood alcohol concentration. This exceeds the legal limit for driving. Failure to sleep for 24 hours results in drowsiness, short temper, food cravings, and lack of concentration, to mention only a few.

Stage 2: After 36 Hours

By missing 36 hours of sleep, intense fatigue sets in and you feel the need to sleep even more. This results in microsleeps whereby you sleep for 30 seconds without noticing. Lack of cohesion in various brain parts leads to miscommunication that negatively affects your performance. As a result, impaired memory hinders you from decoding new information. Therefore, your decision-making is severely affected negatively, leading to errors being made.

Stage 3: After 48 Hours

This is a stage of extreme sleep deprivation when you fail to sleep for 48 hours. Staying awake becomes more challenging, and microsleeps occur caused by fatigue. To make matters worse, you begin to hallucinate, and depersonalization occurs. Furthermore, anxiety and stress begin to affect your mind.

Stage 4: Awake For 72 Hours

When you don’t sleep for 72 hours, this is a recipe for disaster for your wellbeing. Your desire to sleep increases, and long microsleeps become the order of the day. Furthermore, hallucinations become frequent and complicated. This results in delusions, depersonalization, and not thinking straight.

Stage 5: Awake For 96 Hours or More

This is a fatal stage where your interpretation of reality becomes distorted at a higher level. This situation is known as deprivation psychosis.