• Question: what would happen if you didnt sleep for a week?

    Asked by tompkinshwh to Helen, Jenni, Mark, Martin, Stu on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Jenni Tilley

      Jenni Tilley answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      you’d be very unwell. Whilst it is possible to get along on very little sleep (just ask your mum how many hours sleep she had when you were a baby!), the body does need some sleep to rest and recover from the stresses of life.

      “There is strong evidence that sufficient shortening or disturbance of the sleep process compromises mood, performance and alertness and can result in injury or death.” http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

      Most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best, with teenagers needing a bit more (8-10 hours). That said, too much sleep is also a bad thing

      So now you have an excuse to lie in… 😛

    • Photo: Helen O'Connor

      Helen O'Connor answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      I would probably get a lot of work done, and answer a lot more of your questions if I didnt sleep this week! But like Jenni said, I would soon get very ill.

    • Photo: Mark Burnley

      Mark Burnley answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      I’ll be finding out in a couple of months, because I’ve got a baby on the way!

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