What would happen if you didn’t sleep?
Transcript
In 1965, 17-year-old high school student, Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours.
That’s 11 days to see how he’d cope without sleep.
On the second day, his eyes stopped focusing.
Next, he lost the ability to identify objects by touch.
By day three, Gardner was moody and uncoordinated.
At the end of the experiment, he was struggling to concentrate, had trouble with short-term memory, became paranoid, and started hallucinating.
Although Gardner recovered without long-term psychological or physical damage, for others, losing shuteye can result in hormonal imbalance, illness, and, in extreme cases, death.
We’re only beginning to understand why we sleep to begin with, but we do know it’s essential.
Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, and adolescents need about ten.
We grow sleepy due to signals from our body telling our brain we are tired, and signals from the environment telling us it’s dark outside.
The rise in sleep-inducing chemicals, like adenosine and melatonin, send us into a light doze that grows deeper, making our breathing and heart rate slow down and our muscles relax.
This non-REM sleep is when DNA is repaired and our bodies replenish themselves for the day ahead.
In the United States, it’s estimated that 30% of adults and 66% of adolescents are regularly sleep-deprived.
This isn’t just a minor inconvenience.
Staying awake can cause serious bodily harm.
When we lose sleep, learning, memory, mood, and reaction time are affected.
Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation, halluciations, high blood pressure, and it’s even been linked to diabetes and obesity.
In 2014, a devoted soccer fan died after staying awake for 48 hours to watch the World Cup.
While his untimely death was due to a stroke, studies show that chronically sleeping fewer than six hours a night increases stroke risk by four and half times compared to those getting a consistent seven to eight hours of shuteye.
For a handful of people on the planet who carry a rare inherited genetic mutation, sleeplessness is a daily reality.
This condition, known as Fatal Familial Insomnia, places the body in a nightmarish state of wakefulness, forbidding it from entering the sanctuary of sleep.
Within months or years, this progressively worsening condition leads to dementia and death.
How can sleep deprivation cause such immense suffering?
Scientists think the answer lies with the accumulation of waste prducts in the brain.
During our waking hours, our cells are busy using up our day’s energy sources, which get broken down into various byproducts, including adenosine.
As adenosine builds up, it increases the urge to sleep, also known as sleep pressure.
In fact, caffeine works by blocking adenosine’s receptor pathways.
Other waste products also build up in the brain, and if they’re not cleared away, they collectively overload the brain and are thought to lead to the many negative symptoms of sleep deprivation.
So, what’s happening in our brain when we sleep to prevent this?
Scientists found something called the glymphatic system, a clean-up mechanism that removes this buildup and is much more active when we’re asleep.
It works by using cerebrospinal fluid to flush away toxic byproducts that accumulate between cells.
Lymphatic vessels, which serve as pathways for immune cells, have recently been discovered in the brain, and they may also play a role in clearing out the brain’s daily waste products.
While scientists continue exploring the restorative mechanisms behind sleep, we can be sure that slipping into slumber is a necessity if we want to maintain our health and our sanity.
Vocabulary List
cope
(verb) to deal with a difficult or challenging situation
moody
(adjective) having or showing rapidly changing emotions
uncoordinated
(adjective) not able to move or act smoothly or efficiently
shuteye
(noun) informal term for sleep
sleep-inducing
(adjective) causing sleep
replenish
(verb) to fill or supply again
sleep-deprived
(adjective) not getting enough sleep
inconvenience
(noun) a minor problem or difficulty
bodily
(adjective) relating to the body
inflammation
(noun) the body’s reaction to injury or infection, characterized by redness, swelling, pain, and heat
devoted
(adjective) giving all of one’s time and attention to something
untimely
(adjective) happening at an inconvenient or inappropriate time
chronically
(adverb) for a long period of time or repeatedly
handful
(noun) a small number of people or things
sanctuary
(noun) a place of safety or protection
progressively
(adverb) gradually increasing or developing
deprivation
(noun) the state of being deprived of something
immense
(adjective) very large or great
waking hours
(noun) the time when someone is awake
byproduct
(noun) a product produced as a result of the main process
build up
(verb) to increase or accumulate gradually
collectively
(adverb) as a group or whole
buildup
(noun) an accumulation of something
restorative
(adjective) helping to restore health or strength
slumber
(noun) sleep, especially deep sleep
Grammar Point
verb + adjective
We usually use verbs with adverbs as adverbs modify or add additional information to verbs.
In some cases, we can also use verbs with adjectives.
We will observe verbs that are usually used with adjectives in this video.
stay + adjective
In 1965, 17-year-old high school student, Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours.
stay + adjective
= to continue to be in a particular state or situation
stay awake
= to continue to be awake
stay healthy
= to continue to be healthy
stay calm
= to continue to be calm
become + adjective
At the end of the experiment, he was struggling to concentrate, had trouble with short-term memory, became paranoid, and started hallucinating.
become + adjective
= to start to be something
became paranoid
= started to be paranoid
become aware
= to start to be aware
become confused
= to start to be confused
grow + adjective
We grow sleepy due to signals from our body telling our brain we are tired, and signals from the environment telling us it’s dark outside.
grow + adjective
= to change and become something slowly
grow sleepy
= to slowly become sleepy
grow tired
= to slowly become tired
grow old
= to slowly become old
The verbs that can be used with adjectives such as “stay”, “become”, and “grow” are called linking verbs.
he’d
That’s 11 days to see how he’d cope without sleep.
The word “he’d” is a contraction of the phrase “he had” and “he would.”
It can be used in a sentence in two ways:
he’d + base form
= he would + base form
(Past simple tense using modal verb “would”)
I’m sure he’d be happy to help you.
= I’m sure he would be happy to help you.
He’d love to come with us, but he has to work.
= He would love to come with us, but he has to work.
I thought he’d be angry, but he was actually quite understanding.
= I thought he would be angry, but he was actually quite understanding.
he’d + past participle
= he had + past participle
(Past perfect tense)
He’d already left when I got there.
= He had already left when I got there.
I didn’t know he’d been in the army.
= I didn’t know he had been in the army.
compared to
While his untimely death was due to a stroke, studies show that chronically sleeping fewer than six hours a night increases stroke risk by four and half times compared to those getting a consistent seven to eight hours of shuteye.
The phrase “compared to” is used when considering the size, quality, or amount of something in relation to something similar.
We can use “compared to” in these patterns:
comparative adjective + compared to + noun
The new house is much bigger compared to the old one.
much bigger = comparative adjective
the old one = noun phrase
noun + compared to + time expression
Statistics show a 20% reduction in burglary compared to last year.
a 20% reduction in burglary = noun phrase
last year = time expression
We can also use “compared to” at the beginning of a sentence.
Compared to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara almost seems rural.
= Santa Barbara almost seems rural compared to Los Angeles.
Common Expressions
in fact
In fact, caffeine works by blocking adenosine’s receptor pathways.
The word “in fact” can be used in a few different ways. It can be used to add emphasis to what you are saying, or to show that it is the opposite of or different from what went before. For example, you might say “I don’t work. In fact, I’ve never had a job.” In this case, the word “in fact” is used to emphasize the fact that you have never had a job.
The word “in fact” can also be used to introduce new information that contradicts or modifies what has been said before. For example, you might say “The holiday was really disappointing – a complete disaster, in fact. It just rained all the time.” In this case, the word “in fact” is used to introduce the new information that the holiday was a disaster.
Finally, the word “in fact” can be used to simply state a fact. For example, you might say “The population of the earth is, in fact, about 8 billion people.” In this case, the word “in fact” is used to simply state the fact that the population of the earth is about 8 billion people.