'No sleep challenge' invites death, research warns those who sleep less and work night shifts

Sleep is very important for our health, if a person is not allowed to sleep in sufficient quantity then it can also become the reason for his death, therefore no matter how hard you work throughout the day, but you must rest for 7 to 8 hours at night.

The Dangers Of Sleep Deprivation: Who doesn't like a peaceful sleep? Scientists also say that a healthy adult should sleep for 7 to 8 hours a day without interruption, but some people, in a bid to make a world record, try dangerous things like 'No Sleep Challenge' which can even take their lives. Professor Adam Taylor of Lancaster University, England, explained what health risks can occur due to lack of sleep.

This man did not sleep for 11 days

We are all aware of the fatigue and restlessness that follows a sleepless night. Some users on social media are competing to set a record of staying awake for days and nights by participating in the 'No Sleep Challenge'. A YouTuber named Norm (19) was live streaming his attempt to set a world record for spending the most time without sleep on the site. After 250 hours, viewers began to express concern about Norme's health, but he did not stop and spent a period of 264 hours and 24 minutes 'without sleep'.

Guinness World Records has banned this challenge

After this, social media sites like YouTube and Kik banned him. Norm claimed to have broken the Guinness World Record for staying awake for the longest time, which was not true. This world record is registered in the Guinness Book in the name of Robert MacDonald, who spent 453 hours i.e. about 19 days without sleeping in 1986. Guinness World Records stopped monitoring the record of spending the longest time without sleep in 1997 due to security reasons. This was a right step.

Disadvantages of not sleeping for many days

Going without sleep for a long time can prove to be extremely dangerous. Adults should try to get more than 7 hours of sleep every night. Consistently failing to get enough sleep increases the risk of suffering from life-threatening medical conditions such as depression, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke. Sleep is an important part of our daily life. It enables many systems of our body to rest and repair and recover from damage.

During the first three stages of sleep, the parasympathetic nervous system is active, which controls digestion and the process of going into a state of rest. This reduces heart rate and blood pressure. In the last stage, i.e. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, heart activity increases and the eyes move. This stage is necessary for cognitive functions such as creativity, learning ability and storing memories.

First Day 

Consuming alcohol or caffeine before bedtime can disturb the sleep cycle. Sleep deprivation can be acute or long-term. Acute sleep deprivation can mean not being able to sleep for a day or two. While this may seem like a short period, going 24 hours without sleep can have many dangerous consequences other than a lack of concentration. It can lead to symptoms such as swollen eyes, dark circles, irritability, memory loss, confusion, inability to make quick decisions and analyze information, and increased food cravings.

Second Day

If you spend the second day without sleep, the symptoms can become more severe and changes can be seen in the person's behavior. The body's craving for sleep becomes more intense, due to which the person starts taking 'microsleeps', that is, he starts taking unwanted naps, which can last for about 30 seconds. Lack of sleep also increases the desire to eat and there are complaints of various systems becoming overactive and the immune system weakening, due to which we become more vulnerable to diseases.

Third Day

Spending the third day awake increases the urge to sleep, increasing the risk of the person having longer periods of 'microsleep', feeling disconnected from the real world, and being confused.

Fourth Day

On the other hand, after spending the fourth day without sleep, the symptoms reach their peak and take the form of 'sleep deprivation psychosis', where the person becomes unable to interpret reality and starts wanting to sleep at all costs. The process of recovering from the problems caused by lack of sleep is different for every person. Some people can get rid of all the symptoms by just sleeping deeply for one night. On the other hand, it may take several days or weeks for many people to overcome these symptoms.

Disadvantages of working in the night shift

However, studies show that sleep replacement often does not reverse the changes in metabolic function that cause weight gain and decreased insulin sensitivity, even in cases where a person goes without sleep for a relatively short period. Professionals who work different shifts can often face sleep deprivation. Night shift workers usually sleep an average of one to four hours less per day than day shift workers. This may increase their risk of premature death.

Sleeping less invites death.

By the way, many studies have already revealed that too little sleep is associated with an increased risk of premature death. Similarly, too much sleep has also been found to be connected to an increased risk of premature death. In such a situation, it is better that people avoid joining social media challenges like the 'no-sleep challenge' and try to get seven to nine hours of sweet sleep every night. Your body will be grateful to you for this.