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Woman in bed with hands on her head: Sleep deprivation
Health Education

The effects of sleep deprivation on your body

More than a third of adults may suffer from sleep deprivation. Here’s what can happen when you are sleep deprived and how to prevent it.
Ben Michalak
By | Aug. 10, 2023 Medically reviewed by Gerardo Sison, Pharm.D.

Tossing and turning in bed is not an ideal way to spend your night, especially when it leaves you feeling drowsy, disengaged, and irritable the next day. Even worse, the tossing and turning may continue the next night, the next, and the next. 

Sleep deprivation can happen for a variety of reasons. No matter its cause, its effects can severely impact your short- and long-term health. Whether treatment involves improving sleep hygiene, seeking medical intervention, or reducing daily stress, knowing how to prevent and treat sleep deprivation is essential. 

What is sleep deprivation?

Simply put, sleep deprivation occurs when you don’t get enough sleep. This can happen after low-quality sleep, an inconsistent sleep schedule, or an overall decrease in sleep, which may be worsened because of a medical or sleep-related disorder. 

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), the general recommendation for hours slept per night by age are as follows: 

  • Newborns: 14-17 hours per day
  • Toddlers: 11-14 hours
  • Children: 10-13 hours
  • Adolescents: 8-10 hours
  • Adults: 7-9 hours

Falling below the recommended average occasionally may tire you out. Still, as long as your sleeping habits return to normal, you shouldn’t expect to suffer from the effects of sleep deprivation. However, if you’re an adult and start regularly sleeping less than seven hours per night, you may begin to notice the onset of symptoms. 

The body keeps a circadian rhythm: a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. A part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is responsible for keeping the body on a master clock, telling it when to do certain functions, such as releasing certain hormones and regulating digestion. As a result, poor sleep can disrupt the body’s natural rhythm and normal functions. 

A healthcare provider may measure sleep deprivation based on how many hours a person spends awake: for example, 12 hours awake versus 24. That said, the effects of sleep deprivation will also depend on the person. If you are used to getting nine hours of sleep, you may notice differences in your attention span, mood, and habits if you stay up a few hours longer. As with the general recommendations for nightly sleep above, keeping track of your time spent awake matters just as much.

Sleep deprivation is common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than a third of adults are not getting enough sleep regularly. Furthermore, various sleep studies have found that around two-thirds of adults report nightly sleep disturbances. Even though they may seem difficult to fix and common among adults, finding ways to improve your sleep problems should be a high priority. 

More serious symptoms are associated with longer-term sleep deprivation that can worsen over time. The stages of sleep deprivation correspond with dramatic leaps in hours spent awake. Keep reading to learn more about possible symptoms you may experience in each of the five states of sleep deprivation. 

Sleep deprivation symptoms

There are many possible symptoms of sleep deprivation that range from drowsiness to deprivation psychosis. If you’ve been awake for nearly 24 hours, your chances of developing more severe symptoms may increase every hour. 

Sleep deprivation affects the body gradually, not all at once. It often manifests as irregular sleeping patterns instead of complete sleep loss. Daytime naps and mood changes may become more frequent as you get less and less sleep. It’s important to know that certain symptoms may develop earlier or later than others.

Each stage of sleep deprivation is typically measured by hours spent awake. The following are the effects you can expect at five different sleep deprivation stages. 

Stage 1: 24 hours awake

  • Anxiety or irritability
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Drowsiness 
  • Fatigue
  • Coordination issues 
  • Increased appetite 
  • Overeating 
  • Puffiness in the eyes or dark circles under the eyes 

Stage 2: 36 hours awake

  • Microsleep episodes 
  • Difficulty processing new information 
  • Trouble making decisions
  • Severe fatigue 
  • Craving food 
  • Behavioral changes
  • Inflammation around the eyes
  • Lowered immunity

Stage 3: 48 hours awake

  • Microsleep episodes increase
  • Depersonalization
  • Possibility for visual hallucinations
  • Increased irritability and stress levels
  • Extreme fatigue

Stage 4: 72 hours awake

  • Impaired perception 
  • Delusions and hallucinations
  • Depressive symptoms and mood 
  • Paranoia 

Stage 5: 96+ hours awake

  • Deprivation psychosis
  • Difficulty keeping track of time 
  • Disordered thinking
  • Memory troubles and brain fog

Causes of sleep deprivation

There are many potential causes of sleep deprivation. Most depend on a person’s life experiences that may keep them from sleeping, but a few general causes include: 

  • General stress and anxiety
  • Busy schedules and work obligations 
  • Interpersonal problems 
  • Poor decisions before sleep (using a phone, watching TV, eating, etc.)
  • Issues related to medications 

There are multiple disorders and medical conditions that may cause sleep deprivation. Contact your healthcare provider if you believe you may be experiencing one of the following: 

Knowing if any medications or disorders might affect your sleep schedule is key. As mentioned, sleep deprivation can have devastating effects on your physical and mental health. If you already have health problems, don’t add loss of sleep to the list

Medications that may cause sleep deprivation include: 

Older adults may experience a loss of sleep duration because of problems related to circadian rhythm. Age can affect the function of the brain’s SCN, making it difficult for the body to release crucial hormones at the right time. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle, but the body secretes less of it with age. This may affect a person’s quality of sleep and lead to sleep disorders. 

Effects of sleep deprivation

Although symptoms can immediately affect your body, many effects of sleep deprivation may not go away when you finally catch up on sleep. Not only are cognitive issues common, but sleep loss may negatively affect your joints, blood pressure, immune system, and other crucial bodily functions. There are very few bodily functions sleep deprivation won’t affect. 

The short-term effects of sleep deprivation include abnormal daytime sleepiness, irritability, and trouble concentrating. Be warned: These annoying symptoms may become severe disorders if the underlying causes of the sleep problems are not resolved. 

The following are the most common long-term effects of sleep deprivation on the body: 

  • Nervous system issues: The nervous system uses sleep to form pathways between neurons to improve concentration, memory, and coordination. These, along with your reaction time and decision-making capabilities, may be permanently affected by sleep deprivation. 
  • Digestive and weight issues: Sleep is crucial to regulating your body’s leptin and ghrelin levels. Leptin is a hormone that helps control your appetite by keeping track of your body fat and energy. On the other hand, ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach that can tell your brain when you’re hungry. Sleep deprivation can affect the regulation of hormones and cause hunger at random times, increasing your risk of weight gain and obesity. 
  • Diabetes risk: During the early morning, your blood sugar (glucose) levels naturally rise while you sleep. Insulin is responsible for managing these glucose levels. However, sleep deprivation may contribute to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. 
  • Immune system issues: Sleep is a time for your body to conserve energy, but it’s also a time for your immune system to protect against bacteria or viruses. Without sleep, your immune system won’t be as effective against microbes, opening up the possibility for infections or common sicknesses (such as colds) to occur. 
  • Mood disorders: Depression and anxiety are both immediate and potentially long-term effects of sleep deprivation. 

Sleep deprivation treatment

Sleep deprivation treatments will depend on their underlying cause. As listed above, sleep deprivation may be an environmental consequence of poor hygiene, a stressful living situation, or excessive caffeine use before bedtime. In these cases, making a few adjustments can significantly affect your sleeping habits. 

If your sleep deprivation is the result of environmental factors, here are some lifestyle changes you can consider: 

  • Cutting back on screen time closer to bed 
  • Eating a cleaner diet 
  • Managing your stress levels 
  • Managing your sleep environment

On the other hand, sleep deprivation could result from a more serious medical disorder, like sleep apnea. If this is the case, contact a healthcare provider to determine a treatment plan. The same can be said for any medications that may cause sleep deprivation.

A healthcare provider may administer a sleep study (or polysomnography) to test your body’s response to sleep. While it can diagnose and rule out potential causes of sleep deprivation, it can also be used as a tool to see if treatments have been effective. Sleep studies can be conducted in sleep labs and be scheduled at a time that fits a person’s typical sleeping hours. 

To track how your body reacts to sleep, medical professionals and sleep specialists will use the following monitoring tests: 

  • Electroencephalography (EEG): a sensor that tracks brain activity
  • Electrocardiography (EKG): a sensor that tracks heart activity and rhythm
  • Electromyogram (EMG): a sensor that tracks muscle movement
  • Electro-oculography (EOG): a sensor that tracks eye movement 

They may also track your respiratory system and blood oxygen content throughout your sleep study. These tests should never cause additional pain or discomfort. The main goal is to narrow down your sleep deprivation treatment options. 

There are forms of therapy that people experiencing sleep deprivation may find helpful. For one, if sleep troubles are linked to symptoms of anxiety or depression, getting in touch with a mental health professional may open up the following treatment options: 

  • Talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)
  • Medication to treat anxiety or depression

CBT-I is a form of therapy focused on treating insomnia. It may help an individual target helpful lifestyle changes and form a connection between their mental and sleep health. A mental healthcare provider can help determine if CBT-I may help treat your sleep deprivation. 

Preventing sleep deprivation

It may sometimes be difficult to prevent sleep deprivation. At some point, everyone will have a night or two in which they get insufficient sleep and feel the effects the next day. That being said, reducing the risk of sleep deprivation is possible. The following are a few recommendations to help ensure you get a good night’s sleep: 

  • Develop a consistent sleep schedule: Put limits on unhealthy pre-sleep habits and set a consistent bedtime
  • Make time for physical activities: Regular exercise can help improve your sleep and quality of life. 
  • Lighten your workload: Shift work and other demanding work environments may increase stress and lead to a lack of sleep. Take stock of your workload and find ways to prioritize your well-being. 
  • Limit caffeine and sleep medications: Although they may help you stay awake during the day, these may result in adverse side effects that ultimately prevent sleep. 

These simple changes may help improve sleep hygiene and ensure better sleep overall. However, if a plan for healthy sleep isn’t working and you’re still losing sleep, contact your healthcare provider. Finding treatment for chronic sleep deprivation can serve as an effective preventive measure for future health issues.