We're back at it again, subjecting one of our staff writers to your most pressing questions,
and this time it's one that's been asked hundreds of times: what happens when you don't sleep
for a week?
During our preliminary research we discovered that the effects of complete sleep deprivation
can be pretty severe, so instead of complete no-sleep, we're letting our writer and guinea
pig get three hours of sleep a day- well below the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night every
person should get.
Ever wonder what lack of sleep does to the body?
According to the American Psychological Association only 20 percent of adults get a good quality
sleep each night.
Yet in 1942 only 8% of people reported getting only six or fewer hours of sleep a night,
but by 2017 almost 50% of Americans are getting less than 8 hours of sleep.
Clearly we have a serious problem in our society, but how badly is it affecting us?
Day 1
10 AM: Today I start the no-sleep one week challenge- or little sleep I suppose since
no-sleep can be pretty dangerous, even outright fatal.
During my preparation for the challenge I read about American and Soviet sleep deprivation
interrogation techniques, where CIA and Soviet Gulag prisoners would be sleep-deprived for
days on end in order to break down a tough prisoner's mental defenses and extract critical
information.
Apparently the brain can be so badly affected however that information can be unreliable,
or just completely made up, which kind of begs the question of just how effective these
techniques really are.
I guess I'll find out.
In order to test the effectiveness of CIA and Soviet sleep-deprivation interrogation
techniques I've struck a deal with my girlfriend- I will hide her laptop somewhere and she has
until day 7 to extract the location from me.
Without the laptop she won't be able to watch Netflix or mess with her Pinterest, and she
hates doing work emails from her phone because the screen is so small, so she has a huge
incentive to try to get me to break.
I guess we'll see if she can.
10 PM: Last night I had a full night's sleep so I'm not feeling too rough.
It's about 10 pm now and I'm tired, but I've definitely done longer stints without sleep
during my years in the military.
Working on my laptop and girlfriend asked if she could borrow it, but I told her that
would violate the terms of our challenge.
She rolled her eyes and started watching Netflix on her phone.
I'm not noticing any side effects so far, but it is going to be tough to stay awake
when nobody else is up.
I downloaded a few PS 1 games to play through the night and keep me busy though.
Day 2
10 AM: Slept my three hours, then woke up when girlfriend was getting ready to go to
work.
Waking up was pretty tough, but again nothing I haven't experienced before.
I'm not really hungry though and haven't eaten yet, and I remember this as a symptom of not
sleeping from my time in the military.
We used to take adderall to power through days and days of little sleep, it's basically
an amphetamine and jolts your system awake giving you a ton of energy, but the side effects
are pretty terrible.
This time there's no adderall to cheat with but from what I've read the symptoms of no
sleep can be just as bad.
Guess we'll see.
10 PM: I wasn't that tired last night, but this time I'm really tired.
I brought in a patio chair to sit on because I'm afraid if I sit on the couch or lay in
bed for too long I'll fall asleep.
In the military it was easier not to sleep, you were active and had something to do, but
with nothing to really do it's a lot harder.
I took dog for a million walks today, and will probably take him on at least two more
tonight just to keep me active.
Girlfriend asked me where the laptop was, I didn't tell her.
Not writing it here either in case she steals my laptop while I'm not looking.
I think watching youtube and Netflix on her phone is getting to her more than my lack
of sleep is getting to me.
Research I read up on says that one of the first effects of sleep deprivation is the
inability to show positive emotion on the face.
Even happy people can't show it on their face with a smile.
I asked girlfriend if she felt I was being that way and she said I laugh less and don't
smile as much, but I seem normal- just really tired.
Research also said I'd crave junk food as the body looks for sources of energy to keep
itself going, that's definitely true.
I drank one of those huge 16 ounce cokes a little bit ago and will probably drink another
later tonight to help me stay up.
Sorry washboad abs- you’re going to have to wait at least one more week.
Day 3
10 AM: I woke up after three hours and it literally felt like I had just gone to sleep
a moment ago.
I can't describe how tired I am.
Not hungry at all.
Going to try and keep busy today working on other scripts to pass the time.
10 PM: Definitely an advantage to have something to keep you physically active and alert like
in the military, as opposed to just doing nothing.
Tried to keep occupied with video games but the action is getting hard to track.
Tried to work on scripts to pass the time but just too hard to concentrate.
Been zoning out a lot, missed an entire conversation after girlfriend came home from work.
Research says this is the brain trying to force a rest period even with eyes open, you
literally just check out mentally.
It's called micro-sleeps and supposed to happen less than 30 seconds.
Pretty sure I micro-slept for full five minute conversation.
Girlfriend grilled me about her laptop.
Didn't tell her.
She'll never break me.
Day 4
10 AM: I feel like I haven't eaten in a long time but I'm not hungry.
Girlfriend bought me bunch of nutrition bars yesterday because I haven't been eating much
regular food.
She left them all over the house so there's one always in reach.
Sometimes I eat one and then forget I just ate one and reach for one only to find the
empty wrapper and I realize I just ate one.
I think that last sentence makes sense, getting hard to concentrate but trying hard.
Girlfriend had to shake me awake when alarm rang after three hours.
She said she's concerned and thinks this is stupid and she's not going to wake me up again
so I have to set three alarms just to make sure I wake up.
10 PM: I feel physically ill, like nauseous, all the time.
I walked the dog earlier and zoned out for I don't know how long.
Guess I micro-slept in the middle of the sidewalk.
Definitely not smiling or laughing much.
Also making a lot of spelling errors in this document.
Hard to concentrate.
Research says lack of sleep increases stress hormones because the brain can't rest and
balance out your hormone levels, and I definitely feel stressed.
Girlfriend asked if I was ready to tell her where laptop was.
Didn't tell her.
She said my job is dumb and I’m dumb and she doesn’t need her stupid laptop anyways
and went to sleep.
Day 5
10 AM: Back in military days when used to go with little sleep for days there was point
you hit where you weren't really tired anymore even though your body was exhausted.
Like your brain tricking your body.
I feel like that a lot now.
Research says that your brain dumbs down when you don't sleep.
I have to agree.
To test myself I tried to do a math quiz online and did horrible.
I don't even feel like trying to write today.
10 PM: Girlfriend asked for laptop a bunch.
Didn't tell her.
She said no sex then.
Joke's on her, research says you lose sex drive without sleep because your hormones
are out of balance and lack of energy.
It's a Mexican standoff but she's got no bullets in her gun.
I win.
Day 6
10 AM: Today is Saturday but I forgot.
Only remembered because girlfriend didn't go to work today.
Days sometimes blur together because I don't have regular 9-5 job, but definitely affected
by lack of sleep.
Typically go somewhere on Saturdays, but no energy to do anything.
Really trying hard not to sleep.
I played all of Final Fantasy VII this week to keep busy.
Great game but guess what, VI is better.
You can suck it, internet, but VII is inferior to VI.
10 PM: I'm pretty sure I fell asleep few times today, but don't remember.
Girlfriend insists I didn't, so either memory is completely falling apart or I slept with
eyes open.
Research says that severe lack of sleep disrupts brain's ability to form memories properly.
Coupled with poor nutrition this can cause serious memory problems, and definitely have
not been eating right.
Too much junk food, but I guess like research said just the body trying to energize.
Really hard to type these entries, keep making a lot of mistakes and having to rewrite, plus
sentences that don't make sense.
I had to start setting alarms every thirty minutes on my phone to make sure I didn't
fall asleep accidentally.
Girlfriend also tried to get location of laptop from me, driving her nuts to not have it specially
since its the weekend.
She warned me that experiment ends in one day but lack of sex could last much longer
if I didn't tell her.
Not even the CIA is as evil as she is, they should put her in charge of interrogating
terrorists.
Day 7
1 PM: I don't know when I fell asleep last night but I woke up ten minutes ago, definitely
overslept the three hour limit.
When I woke up girlfriend was on her laptop, and when I asked her how she found it she
just kept smiling and saying she got me.
I honestly don't remember telling her but no way she found it on her own.
I'm not convinced she didn't borrow a laptop that looks just like hers so I would do my
entry and write here where I hid her real laptop after I fall back asleep.
Research says that's paranoia, lack of rest rewires the brain and makes the irrational
seem rational.
Screwed up with the sleep but going to try to stay up anyways.
10 PM: I feel like I could stay up more, but I'm not going to.
All day I've been spacing out.
Really hard to concentrate on writing entries, but not as irrational or hard as I thought
it would be at the start.
Keep reading and re-reading sentences and hoping they make sense though.
Been seeing things the last two days, like shadows moving in corner of the eye.
Research says extreme lack of sleep leads to hallucinations, and I agree.
Will be sitting by myself and suddenly think I saw figure moving at edge of vision.
Knees also been giving out on me and almost fell twice today from absolute exhaustion.
I think maybe I accidentally told girlfriend where laptop was but forgot I did that.
Research says that can happen with prisoners, they give up info and have no memory of it.
Or they make up false info because their brains are scrambled.
But maybe she just borrowed laptop still trying to make me think I gave up the location just
so I'll say or write down where the real one is.
She did show me our pictures on it though and her log-in.
That's pretty convincing but I thought what if she just downloaded the pics and set it
all up.
That's definitely paranoia, so I think I'm going to officially call it here.
Dear internet, a week without sleep makes you grumpy, paranoid, makes you want junk
food but not normal food, kills your sex drive, makes you fall asleep with eyes open, and
annoys your girlfriend.
So don't do it.
And Final Fantasy VI is still better than VII.
Now, go watch our other video: Spend $1 Billion Dollars In 24 Hours or LOSE IT ALL - CHALLENGE.
Bye