By providing more time to work or study, an all-nighter might seem helpful at first glance. In reality, though, staying up all night is harmful to effective thinking, mood, and physical health. These effects on next-day performance mean that pulling an all-nighter rarely pays off.
Risks to Consider Before Pulling an All-Nighter
Sleep deprivation, even for just one night, can have a host of negative effects on the body and mind, leading to: Disruptions in the circadian rhythms that govern the natural sleep-wake cycle. Feelings of irritability, anxiety, or depression. Decreased attention span.
Puffy eyes and dark circles, cravings and hunger pangs that can contribute to obesity, poor focus on tasks at work or home, frequent infections because of poor immunity are some of the ways in which our body is affected due to lack of proper sleep.
Now, he makes an effort to sleep at least six hours per night, he said in an interview with CNBC's David Faber on Tuesday. “I've tried [to sleep] less, but ... even though I'm awake more hours, I get less done,” Musk said. “And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours [of sleep per night].”
Adults should stay awake no longer than 17 hours to meet the CDC's sleep recommendation. People tend to experience the adverse effects of sleep deprivation within 24 hours.
The bare minimum of sleep needed to live, not just thrive, is 4 hours per 24-hour period. Seven to 9 hours of sleep are needed for health, renewal, learning, and memory. Disruption of the sleep cycle from shift work creates problems for the quality and quantity of sleep.
The easy experimental answer to this question is 264 hours (about 11 days). In 1965, Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student, set this apparent world-record for a science fair. Several other normal research subjects have remained awake for eight to 10 days in carefully monitored experiments.
While an all-nighter every once in a while isn't going to do much damage (besides making you feel like garbage the next day), consistently getting fewer than 6 hours of sleep can have some dangerous long-term effects. For adults, the aim is to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
After a long all-nighter, it's time to take some well-deserved rest. Set aside some time in your schedule for a quick nap to give you the boost you need to make it through the day. The following night, plan to turn in early so you can get some quality shut-eye.
Pulling an all-nighter means engaging in an activity during sleep time that makes you catch little or no sleep for up to 24 hours. So if you're usually asleep from 10 pm to 6 am, you'll remain awake during an all-nighter throughout this time frame.
Try to get to sleep 1-3 hours early the night after an all-nighter. This gives your body time, if it can, to recoup some hours of sleep, boosting the possibility of feeling better the following day.
After two days of no sleep, you can count on increased irritability, anxiety, foggy memory, and impaired thinking, says Hussam Al-Sharif, MD, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
In December 1963/January 1964, 17-year-old Gardner stayed awake for 11 days and 24 minutes (264.4 hours), breaking the previous record of 260 hours held by Tom Rounds. Gardner's record attempt was attended by Stanford sleep researcher Dr. William C. Dement, while his health was monitored by Lt. Cmdr.
After going 72 hours (or three days) without sleep, the previous symptoms listed above can become more severe. Not only can you experience worsened mood and higher cholesterol levels, but your urge to sleep will likely be extremely intense. At this stage, you may also experience disordered thinking and hallucinations.
Engage in Calming Activities prior to bed such as taking a bath or meditation. Consider relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. Avoid looking at electronic devices that give off bright light at least 1 hour prior to bed. This can make it harder to fall asleep.
Sleep routine: 7 hours
“Once or twice, I stayed up two nights in a row. I knew I wasn't as sharp when I was operating mostly on caffeine and adrenaline, but I was obsessed with my work, and I felt that sleeping a lot was lazy,” he wrote on his blog. Today, Gates regularly gets at least seven hours of sleep per night.
It's common knowledge that sleep is good for your brain – and Einstein took this advice more seriously than most. He reportedly slept for at least 10 hours per day – nearly one and a half times as much as the average American today (6.8 hours).
In a post on the newly launched Threads app, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims that he's mastered what we all dream of—getting about seven to eight hours of sleep per night. “Really dialed in my sleep with Eight Sleep and Oura,” he wrote, referring to a smart mattress and smart ring meant to help us catch our Zzzs.