What happens to the brain when you stop sleeping one night?

 The longest time a person has gone without sleep is at a record 246 hours, or eleven days.

It was a 17-year-old boy, Randy Gardner, who was monitored in a laboratory. Before this, Randy had been an excellent athlete. The question on everyone's mind was:

“Will Randy survive the experiment? Will he be the same person?

day 1 no sleep

After 24 hours without sleep, Randy felt sleepy, irritable, and stressed.

Although the adolescent did not consume alcohol, his blood alcohol levels were 0.10 BAC. The maximum amount allowed for driving on the road is 0.08 BAC.

At this point, the body begins to "sleep in a localized way", which means that although the person is awake, certain parts of the brain rest, and this can affect appetite and hormone levels.

day 2 no sleep

After 48 hours without sleep, Randy momentarily lost consciousness for a few seconds. This is known as “microsleep”, and it is a protection mechanism.

day 3 no sleep

After 72 hours, the brain stops working properly. Randy lost the ability to taste, smell, and feel objects.

Most people feel very depressed at this stage.

Day 3-11 no sleep.

The sense of reality is lost.

Most people who get to this point, including Randy” start to hallucinate and feel paranoid about everything. The brain officially “turns off”.

recovery

After 11 days without sleep, Randy finally collapsed. He slept 14 hours, woke up, drank some water and went back to sleep.

Randy felt very tired the following days. But the human body is very resilient and he began to sleep normally only 7 or 8 days after the experiment, when he went back to school.

The experiment was done in 1963. Today, Randy is 79 years old and fit and a happy person. No one would say that he went 11 consecutive days without sleep when he was young.