How costly is is to skip nights of sleep?
(#19001) (David Moberg, Sweden, Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:59 PM) Question: If I sleep well during most time of the year, how would it affect me to skip 1 night of sleep or sleep just 50% of my needed hours 2 nights in a row? How unhealthy is it to do this ~4 times a year in connection to parties, birthdays, christmas, conventions? Answer: It is not possible to quantify the effects of such violations. Most of conclusions on the effects of sleep deprivation on health come from restrospective analyses that make it hard to produce clear-cut correlations. The answer falls somewhere within the scope of the statement “it is definitely not healthy”. Judging by the scope of violations people commit on their sleep in general population, skipping sleep 4x per year is not much. Your own body can probably provide you with some measure of the effect. Some of the negative aspects of sleep deprivation are exaggerated and disappear after a single night of good sleep. Others may be imperceptible and more
