How sleep deprivation can harm your physical and mental health — or even turn fatal

The stunt, which was an attempt to break the Guinness World Record, was for naught — Guinness World Records stopped monitoring for the longest time awake in 1997, due to “the inherent dangers associated with sleep deprivation.” The record holder when it ended was Robert McDonald, who went 18 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes without sleep in 1986.

Sleep deprivation has even used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as part of its detention and interrogation program after the 9/11 attacks. According to a U.S. Senate report declassified in 2014, the CIA used sleep deprivation as part of its “enhanced interrogation techniques” which included keeping detainees up for 180 hours — either standing or with their hands shackled above their heads. At least five detainees subjected to sleep deprivation experienced hallucinations.

You should not attempt what Norme did, sleep experts that spoke to the Star warned — lack of sleep can have a myriad of negative physical and health effects, even when you’re not getting enough sleep day-to-day.

What happens if you stay up for 11 days straight?

It’s unclear whether 11 days without sleep, like what Norme did, causes permanent damage and scientists do not conduct experiments that deprive a person of sleep for clear ethics reasons, Michael Mak, a staff psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, explained. But, he added, a genetic disease called fatal familial insomnia might provide some insight on how a continuous lack of sleep can harm the body.

The disease is very rare — affecting about 1 to 2 people out of every million, according to the Cleveland Clinic — and causes those diagnosed to progressively lose sleep until they are unable to sleep at all. People with fatal familial insomnia die about four to seven months after they stop sleeping, Mak said. However, Rebecca Robillard, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa — added that people with fatal familial insomnia might not be comparable to everyday people who just aren’t sleeping, so there may be other factors impacting their death. 

How much sleep do you need?

Ideally, you should be getting seven to nine hours of sleep, Mak and Robillard recommended. But, that’s on average, Robillard added, and every person will have different needs. Some might be short sleepers, who need less than seven hours of sleep to function normally, while others might need several more hours of snoozing to feel normal. 

“I think the critical part is to listen to what our body needs and just get the sleep that we need,” Robillard said.

Lack of sleep can have a range of harmful effects. It can lead to a greater risk of high blood pressure, obesity, heart attack and stroke — not to mention the mental effects of mood swings, hallucinations and paranoia, Mak said. Those are the main concerns for people with insomnia, and Robillard made sure to emphasize that people can receive treatment through cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, which can be free through research studies.

And, mounting evidence shows that “you can’t just bank up sleep,” Robillard said, especially not after staying awake for an extreme length of time. And making up for sleeping less than the recommended amount can take a take anywhere from two to eight weeks, Mak said.

“Sleep is really integrated in so many kind of physiological functions that regulate our body and our mind on a day-to-day basis,” Robillard added.

Her key message? “Hey kids, don’t try this at home.”

“Sleep is such a precious gift. If you’re able to sleep, do indulge and get all the benefits that it brings for your body and for your mind.”