What would happen if you didn’t sleep? - Claudia Aguirre
-
0:07 - 0:12In 1965, 17-year-old high school student,
Randy Gardner -
0:12 - 0:16stayed awake for 264 hours.
-
0:16 - 0:20That's 11 days to see how
he'd cope without sleep. -
0:20 - 0:23On the second day,
his eyes stopped focusing. -
0:23 - 0:27Next, he lost the ability
to identify objects by touch. -
0:27 - 0:31By day three, Gardner was moody
and uncoordinated. -
0:31 - 0:34At the end of the experiment,
he was struggling to concentrate, -
0:34 - 0:36had trouble with short-term memory,
-
0:36 - 0:37became paranoid,
-
0:37 - 0:39and started hallucinating.
-
0:39 - 0:42Although Gardner recovered without
long-term psychological -
0:42 - 0:43or physical damage,
-
0:43 - 0:47for others, losing shuteye can result
in hormonal imbalance, -
0:47 - 0:48illness,
-
0:48 - 0:51and, in extreme cases, death.
-
0:51 - 0:55We're only beginning to understand
why we sleep to begin with, -
0:55 - 0:57but we do know it's essential.
-
0:57 - 1:00Adults need seven to eight hours
of sleep a night, -
1:00 - 1:02and adolescents need about ten.
-
1:02 - 1:05We grow sleepy due to signals
from our body -
1:05 - 1:07telling our brain we are tired,
-
1:07 - 1:11and signals from the environment
telling us it's dark outside. -
1:11 - 1:13The rise in sleep-inducing chemicals,
-
1:13 - 1:15like adenosine and melatonin,
-
1:15 - 1:18send us into a light doze
that grows deeper, -
1:18 - 1:21making our breathing
and heart rate slow down -
1:21 - 1:24and our muscles relax.
-
1:24 - 1:27This non-REM sleep is when DNA is repaired
-
1:27 - 1:30and our bodies replenish themselves
for the day ahead. -
1:30 - 1:32In the United States,
-
1:32 - 1:37it's estimated that 30% of adults
and 66% of adolescents -
1:37 - 1:39are regularly sleep-deprived.
-
1:39 - 1:42This isn't just a minor inconvenience.
-
1:42 - 1:45Staying awake can cause
serious bodily harm. -
1:45 - 1:46When we lose sleep,
-
1:46 - 1:47learning,
-
1:47 - 1:48memory,
-
1:48 - 1:49mood,
-
1:49 - 1:51and reaction time are affected.
-
1:51 - 1:53Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation,
-
1:53 - 1:55halluciations,
-
1:55 - 1:56high blood pressure,
-
1:56 - 2:00and it's even been linked
to diabetes and obesity. -
2:00 - 2:04In 2014, a devoted soccer fan died
-
2:04 - 2:08after staying awake for 48 hours
to watch the World Cup. -
2:08 - 2:11While his untimely death
was due to a stroke, -
2:11 - 2:15studies show that chronically sleeping
fewer than six hours a night -
2:15 - 2:19increases stroke risk
by four and half times -
2:19 - 2:23compared to those getting a consistent
seven to eight hours of shuteye. -
2:23 - 2:28For a handful of people on the planet who
carry a rare inherited genetic mutation, -
2:28 - 2:30sleeplessness is a daily reality.
-
2:30 - 2:34This condition,
known as Fatal Familial Insomnia, -
2:34 - 2:38places the body in a nightmarish
state of wakefulness, -
2:38 - 2:41forbidding it from entering
the sanctuary of sleep. -
2:41 - 2:43Within months or years,
-
2:43 - 2:47this progressively worsening condition
leads to dementia and death. -
2:47 - 2:51How can sleep deprivation
cause such immense suffering? -
2:51 - 2:55Scientists think the answer lies
with the accumulation of waste prducts -
2:55 - 2:57in the brain.
-
2:57 - 2:58During our waking hours,
-
2:58 - 3:02our cells are busy using up
our day's energy sources, -
3:02 - 3:04which get broken down
into various byproducts, -
3:04 - 3:07including adenosine.
-
3:07 - 3:08As adenosine builds up,
-
3:08 - 3:13it increases the urge to sleep,
also known as sleep pressure. -
3:13 - 3:18In fact, caffeine works by blocking
adenosine's receptor pathways. -
3:18 - 3:21Other waste products
also build up in the brain, -
3:21 - 3:25and if they're not cleared away,
they collectively overload the brain -
3:25 - 3:30and are thought to lead to the many
negative symptoms of sleep deprivation. -
3:30 - 3:34So, what's happening in our brain
when we sleep to prevent this? -
3:34 - 3:37Scientists found something called
the glymphatic system, -
3:37 - 3:40a clean-up mechanism
that removes this buildup -
3:40 - 3:43and is much more active when we're asleep.
-
3:43 - 3:49It works by using cerebrospinal fluid
to flush away toxic byproducts -
3:49 - 3:51that accumulate between cells.
-
3:51 - 3:55Lymphatic vessels,
which serve as pathways for immune cells, -
3:55 - 3:58have recently been discovered
in the brain, -
3:58 - 4:04and they may also play a role in clearing
out the brain's daily waste products. -
4:04 - 4:09While scientists continue exploring
the restorative mechanisms behind sleep, -
4:09 - 4:13we can be sure that slipping
into slumber is a necessity -
4:13 - 4:17if we want to maintain our health
and our sanity.
- Title:
- What would happen if you didn’t sleep? - Claudia Aguirre
- Speaker:
- Claudia Aguirre
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-sleep-claudia-aguirre
In the United States, it’s estimated that 30 percent of adults and 66 percent of adolescents are regularly sleep-deprived. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience: staying awake can cause serious bodily harm. Claudia Aguirre shows what happens to your body and brain when you skip sleep.
Lesson by Claudia Aguirre, animation by TED-Ed.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:35
Michelle Mehrtens edited English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Michelle Mehrtens edited English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Bruce Brewer commented on English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What would happen if you didn't sleep? |
Bruce Brewer
Is there a place where I can see the sources used for the statistics in this video? I'm specifically interested in the one about 66% of teens being sleep deprived and the one about teens needing about 10 hours of sleep each night.