5 Things That Happen to the Body When You Stay Up All-Day

Who here has stayed up late to finish assignments, both work and college assignments? How do you feel afterwards? You likely feel uncomfortable and restless. After all, sleep is one of the main human needs.

If you don't get enough sleep, your daily performance will not be optimal, and you could even make a fatal mistake. Lack of sleep not only affects productivity, but health is also threatened. Just a reminder, lack of sleep can cause:

• Slower reflexes
• The mood goes up and down, aka mood swing
• More susceptible to disease
• Mental health is declining

If sleep deprivation can cause these things, what's up with those who like to stay up late? The body needs sleep to function properly. If that break is taken away, serious consequences await! These are the things that happen to your body when you stay up late or don't sleep for days.

1. 24 hours/1 day

Being awake for 24 hours has the same effect as a hangover. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), staying up for 20-25 hours is the same as having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10 per cent. Normal? 0.08 per cent!

Drunk people are prohibited from driving or taking extreme actions, right? It's like a person who has stayed up late. In addition, staying up all day can cause:

• Sleepy during the day
• Blurred vision
• Mood swing
• Difficulty focusing and making decisions
• Tremors, shaking, and muscle tension
• Difficulty seeing or hearing

2. 36 hours/1.5 days

Trying to last up to half a day? You haven't slept for 36 hours, lo! The effect will be heavier on body functions. Your body is under stress, so the brain becomes more aggressive in producing the hormone cortisol. Hormonal imbalances can interfere with proper body reactions and functions.

You can see changes in mood and appetite. You are also easily stressed, your body shivers, and your body temperature fluctuates! Then, your body's oxygen intake also decreases if you don't sleep. Other consequences of 1.5 days of literacy are:

• Memory impairment
• Decreased energy and motivation
• Short attention span and easy to get distracted
• Impaired cognitive function, including problems with reasoning or decision making
• Intense fatigue and sleepiness
• Difficulty speaking clearly or putting together the right words

3. 48 hours/2 days

It is not uncommon for someone to stay up for up to 2 days. Undoubtedly, the functioning of the body and mind is seriously impaired due to 48 hours without rest. You have a harder time focusing and remembering. In addition, mood swings become more frequent, so you are easily angry and sad.

In terms of health, staying up for 48 hours can hurt the immune system. You get sick more easily because, without rest, your immune system can't recover, so it's easier for disease to invade. Keeping yourself awake after 48 hours is a formidable challenge.

After 2 days of staying up late, microsleep will occur. As the name implies, you lose consciousness within a few seconds to half a minute. Once you wake up, you just return to the "real world", but accompanied by confusion and dizziness!

4. 72 hours/3 days

You stay awake for 3 days? Not something to be proud of! You must go to sleep, so it is difficult to focus on activities and even your own thoughts. Mind and body functions are simple, so it seems heavy for the body forced for 72 hours.

Due to extreme fatigue, the heart beats faster than normal. In addition, emotions also become more out of control. Not infrequently, feelings of anxiety, depression, and paranoia arise. It's not scary, but your perception can be affected by this fatigue. So, it's not uncommon:

• Illusions and hallucinations
• Unable to critically process information
• Hat phenomenon or "hat phenomenon", when you feel a pressure sensation around your head

5. More than 3 days?

Staying up late for more than three days is very dangerous! Imagine the previous effects, but with a worse intensity. Hallucinations and paranoia worsen, leading to psychosis which causes a person to be "cut off" from reality.

Maybe you have heard of cases of death due to lack of sleep. This can occur because brain function is disrupted, resulting in organ failure. The good news, this case is rare.

What's more dangerous is if you do activities that require high focus, such as driving or other heavy work. You will experience microsleep more often, which can increase the potential for accidents to death. If this is your problem, immediately consult an expert so that this problem can be resolved immediately.

What if you sleep too much?

In conclusion: sleep is important, and lacking sleeping and even staying up for days can cause the body to be disturbed. However, anything in excess is not good. While it doesn't sound as scary as sleep deprivation, too much sleep can have fatal consequences.

If you sleep too much, then here's what can happen:

• Cognitive impairment, including problems with reasoning and speech
• Sleepy during the day
• Lethargy and low energy
• Headache
• Feelings of depression or negative mood
• Difficulty falling asleep and frequently waking for no reason.

According to a study in France published in the journal PLOS One in 2014, physical and psychological disorders can lurk. Involving 24,671 adults, the research team found that sleeping more than 10 hours was associated with depression, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

Tips for maintaining and improving sleep quality

Lack of sleep? Wrong. Too much sleep? Wrong! So, how long does it take? Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Of course, this duration depends on age and gender.

Then, how do sleep be more effective? According to Healthline, here's what you can do:

• Use the bedroom to relax and sleep, not for daily activities
• Make the room atmosphere as comfortable as possible. How to?
• Turn off the room lights. Afraid of the dark? Turn on the dim night light
• The temperature in the room should be cool, so turn on the air conditioner or other air conditioner a few hours before going to bed
• Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow
• Hang the curtains to block the sunlight from entering suddenly in the morning
• Use a fan to create white noise if you live in an apartment, dorm, or boarding house with noisy roommates.
• Buy quality sheets and blankets
• Sleep and wake up at the same time every day
• Exercise regularly because exercise can drain your body's energy, so it's easier for you to fall asleep.

Remember the word Rhoma Irama? Staying up late is okay, but if there is a need. If there is no need? Yes, sleep! Sufficient sleep will keep your body and mind healthy. If you have trouble sleeping for days, you should check with your doctor before the effects get more serious.