When does lack of sleep become hazardous to health?

I personally have one episode of 72 hours without sleep but that was in SE Asia in 1975 during the evacuation of Saigon. Lack of sleep in itself is not a problem. Eventually the body will shut down and sleep will not be a problem. Lack of sleep or rest becomes hazardous when driving or operating machinery that requires alertness. Lack of sleep also poses a health hazard if you get moody or cranky in the wrong company.

You are already sleep-deprived. One night's loss of sleep takes a full week to make up, even though you think the only effect is that you feel tired. But, in reality, your reflexes are not as sharp, your thinking not as quick; you're just not aware of it at this point. But continue the sleep pattern you've had for the past 2 nights and you will shortly feel the differences.

You will notice, after a few more days of this sleep pattern, a sluggishness, a feeling of confusion, disorientation. It will become diffficult to remember what day it is, difficult to maintain your routine. You will notice a memory problem, a sort of forgetfulness' you will start to misplace everyday items. It will become difficult to concentrate

This is not a sleep pattern you should continue. You will become moody, notice changes in your personality, and not for the better. It takes one week to recover from one night's lost sleep, so it can take a long time.

People who are completely sleep-deprived, getting no sleep, will become full-blown psychotic after the 4th night without sleep, but that's not something that is too often seen. It's usually people who live on just a couple hours sleep a night.

There are definitely long-term effects on your health and brain function if you get little sleep, whether out of necessity or due to a sleep disorder.

Studies have shown that people who don't get enough sleep, over the years, lose their ability to learn well and tend to develop short-term memory problems. It is believed there is a connection between this and the development of Alzheimer's Disease.

The person's overall health deteriorates, with various illnesses having a tendency to occur, i.e., thyroid disease,

low testosterone and heart disease.

I strongly suggest you get back to a normal schedule of sleep. You may not feel any difference other than feeling tired, but that feeling is the warning your body is giving you to let you know it is under too much stress and will start to break down. Always listen to your body.

Losing sleep is not good for your health. Your body needs to rest and that is why we sleep. When you lose sleep, you can never gain it back. Believe me, I know. I sleep very little due to spinal disease and not being able to sleep in a bed.

The most harmful effect it can have is you develop lack of concentration and you are not performing daily tasks at peak level. If you are young, get all the sleep you can. Try to establish a good sleep pattern and routine before going to bed. A hot shower or bath, clean sheets, good book and warm tea 30mg. of caffeine in one cup should help you go to sleep. Also, if there is a pillow or blanket that makes sleeping more comfortable for you, use that. Sex also can bring on good sleep for some people. But; losing sleep is not that hazardous to your health, just wears on you to the point that you feel depressed and tired all the time. Not worth it! The average teenager needs 8-10 hrs. and adults 6-8hrs. and the elderly need very little 4-5 hours.

Babies need the most.

Take care and rest!

Firstly, i would redefine 'sleep deprivation' for you.

the amount of sleep a person needs is dependent on factors like age, physical ativity etc. so wats barely there for you ,might be a refreshing night's sleep for someone else. The statistic is that if you are in the age group of 15 to 60, you need around 4-8 hours of sleep depending on the factors i mentioned above.

very short term sleep deprivation , as has been in your case, doesnt harm. you can make up for it by haveing a sound undisturbed sleep the next day.

but, on a long term, sleeping less than 4 hours a day can play havoc with your metabolism. and by long term i mean a period of months.

You won't notice significant changes if you are still being active, eating, and carrying about your normal daily life for the first few nights. After, though, you'll definitely start feeling sluggish and drowsy all the time. I don't know about hallucinations or paranoia or anything like that.. never heard of such things resulting from sleep deprivation.

Just keep this in mind:

A Korean 30-something year-old man played World of Warcraft for four days non-stop with no sleep, and ate at his computer. In the middle of day four he just went poof, dead.

So be careful about your sleep. Your body needs it to function.

about 4-5 days is when you go just about crazy and yes without sleep you can get suffer from long term insomnia. Believe me you don't want to stay awake for longer then that I have and its not pleasant. With insomnia you might have to be put on medicine to regulate your sleep pattern.

Your body can't function properly without sleep. Your brain need rest (sleep) so it's not overloaded. In time your body doesn't work as well as it use to due to the lack of sleep. I suggest you go to a doctor.